TORONTO — Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca issued the following statement:
“The lack of ambition for Ontario is breathtaking from the Ford Conservatives. Not a single new idea to improve our schools, or provide better care for our seniors.
Despite the political spin… today Finance Officials had no choice but to provide the truth about Conservative cuts.
- Page 168 you will find that the Ford Conservatives cut education spending this past year by $1.3 Billion.
- Page 192 shows that the reason they refused to reduce class sizes, or use rapid tests in our public schools, was because they cut the COVID protections in our schools by $2 Billion.
As a Dad with two daughters in public schools, I can’t believe the government is blaming parents for not raising enough money through bake sales – to try and cover up THEIR $1.3B in funding cuts to schools. If you want to know why we have one million people in surgical backlogs and 15 to 20 percent absences in our schools, both can be tied directly to Conservative cuts.
This is about choices. These aren’t choices Ontario Liberals would have made. These aren’t the choices Ontario families would have made.
But let me be clear, Liberals have a better plan. A plan to DO MORE and HELP MORE.
We are going to revolutionize eldercare, spending twice as much as the NDP and instead of handouts for big business and Ford’s friends we pay for it using the billions in contingency funds. And, tomorrow, I’ll announce 4 new tax changes that are smart and fair. Changes that will help struggling families and small businesses, while ensuring those who earned grotesque profits pay their fair share.
Those are the kinds of choices Liberals will make. Choices that actually help those who need help. Not because there is an election, but because we believe it is the right thing to do.
My message to Ontarians today is, on June 2nd, the choice is yours.”