Dear Seeker,

The upset victory of the Ontario NDP over the governing Liberals in the by-election in Niagara Falls on Feb. 13 is a repudiation of the Ontario Liberal Government’s mismanagement of the province, cynical politics, and costly scandals.

Everyday Ontarians are falling behind and having a hard time making ends meet in these tough economic times. Ontarians are concerned about jobs, their healthcare, and the growing cost of living with skyrocketing hydro bills and the HST on gasoline and home heating.

At the same time, the Liberal Government is handing out corporate tax giveaways, moving ahead with more corporate tax loopholes, has found $1.1 billion to move two gas plants, and has allowed Ontario Power Generation (OPG) executive salaries, pensions, and bonuses to soar.

The Wynne Liberal Government is now considering as part of its 2014 budget to bring in gas tax increases of 5 or 10 cents a litre and an increase in the HST to pay for new transit in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Hamilton and for new transportation infrastructure across Ontario.

Voters in Niagara Falls saw the NDP, under the leadership of Andrea Horwath, as the party to get results to create jobs, make life more affordable, strengthen healthcare, provide a fairer tax system, and make the government more accountable.

Rather than further burden everyday Ontarians with new unfair taxes they can’t afford, the Ontario Government should take steps to ensure that the large, profitable corporations and the wealthy 1% pay their fair share of taxes. This would provide billions of dollars to the Ontario treasury to pay for public services and programs that will create jobs, build new infrastructure, improve public healthcare and home care, and make life affordable.

As for the Hudak Conservatives, voters in Niagara Falls rejected Tim Hudak’s policies to cut essential public services and to decimate the province’s unions with right to work legislation that will make Ontario a low wage province.

Ontarians deserve better than the tired, discredited Liberals and the “slash and burn” Hudak Conservatives. As the Ontario legislature returns on Feb. 18, the Ontario NDP, under leader Andrea Horwath, will continue to work to get results to make Ontario a better, fairer, more affordable place in which to live.

Brian Lynch,
President,
SDSG Provincial NDP riding association,
Cornwall, ON.