Hampton
scores big for public power in London
LONDON - NDP
Leader Howard Hampton says the Conservatives must cancel legislation
allowing the sale of Ontario's hydro assets and end health care
privatization until the public has its say in a provincial election.
"When
you play hard and play fair on the ice, chances are you'll win the game.
But that's not how things work in Ontario anymore," Hampton said.
"Seven-plus years of the Conservatives' gross misconduct have left
hard-working Ontarians against the boards, struggling to pay the bills and
raise their families.
"More
than ever, the people of Ontario deserve a say over their future,"
the NDP Leader said. "Premier Eves should call an election now."
Hampton,
who played hockey at Dartmouth College and the University of Toronto, hit
the ice at Argyle Arena with NDP candidates Irene Mathyssen (London
Fanshawe) and Patti Dawson (London West) to demand an election. Mathyssen
dropped the puck and Hampton and Dawson rifled "public power
pucks" through an "Eves dirty deals" target to show New
Democrats and the people of Ontario can join together to stop Conservative
rip-offs.
"Voting
in a strong team of New Democrats like Irene Mathyssen and Patti Dawson is
the only way to ensure Ontarians can access first-class public health
care, good jobs, affordable housing, high-quality schools, regulated child
care, a secure retirement and affordable public power," Hampton said.
Keeping
hydro and health care in public hands will remain front-and-centre for New
Democrats as the provincial election approaches.
"Premier
Eves is skating on thin ice if he thinks he can defy public power and sell
off our health care or our hydro without a mandate from the people,"
Mathyssen said. "He must cancel legislation allowing the sale of
Ontario's hydro assets and stop the privatization of our health care
system until the people have spoken," Dawson added.
Media inquiries: Sheila White (416)
325-2503 / Jeffrey Ferrier
416-564-0295 / Gil Hardy (416) 325-7118 / Daniel Bonin (416) 325-7324 -
www.ontariondp.on.ca.
KORMOS
BLASTS McGUINTY TUITION FEE FLIP-FLOP
QUEEN'S PARK - NDP MPP Peter Kormos blasted provincial Liberal
leader
Dalton McGuin ty's
retreat on a post-secondary tuition fee cut as "yet another
major Dalton policy
flop-flop."
"First there was the
flipping and flopping over Hydro policy and now there
is this major retreat on
post-secondary tuition fees," Kormos said.
In the 1999 provincial
election, a major Liberal campaign promise was a
reduction in post-secondary
tuition fees Kormos repeated
the NDP's call for an immediate 10 per cent reduction in
post-secondary tuition fees. He promised that an immediate tuition
fee
reduction would be a major
NDP campaign theme in the upcoming provincial
election expected later this
spring.
Kormos also blasted McGuinty
for announcing another $1 billion in provincial
spending promises to be paid for by canceling planned Tory
corporate tax cuts, a source
of funding that Kormos claims McGuinty has spent manytimes over.
"How many times can you
spend what will be, at most, $2 billion in
savings," Kormos said.