Ford defends lack of full platform
PORT COLBORNE, ONT. • With the election just over a week away, Doug Ford has yet to present a fully costed platform despite repeated calls from his opponents to show his plan for the province.
In Port Colborne Tuesday, the Progressive Conservative leader was asked repeatedly when he would lay out how he intends to fund the billions in promises he has made during the campaign, but would only say that it will be before the June 7 vote.
Ford said he has already presented his plan through policy announcements in recent weeks, but none of those explain where the money will come from. The former Toronto councillor has said he will trim four per cent of the provincial budget without cutting any jobs.
“We have a plan, we’ve put a price tag beside every single item … but by the end of this campaign, we will have a fully costed platform,” he said.
When pressed further, he referred reporters to his party’s campaign website. “Go to ontariopc.com, go online … you’re going to see our plan, a great plan, a plan for the people.”
The website — ontariopc. ca — has a section titled “platform” that shows images of Ford with labels such as “stop the carbon tax” and “audit Kathleen Wynne” that link to the party’s various campaign promises. Under the section called “balance the budget,” the site says, “our kids shouldn’t have to pay for Kathleen Wynne’s mistakes. It’s time to respect the taxpayer and balance the budget!”
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath compared Ford’s lack of platform to asking someone to sign a contract without the numbers filled in.
“I think not only is it shameful that they haven’t put a platform out but it’s insulting to voters,” she said.
Premier Kathleen Wynne also said it was disrespectful for Ford to keep voters in the dark. “It’s challenging for the people of the province to know exactly where he’s coming from.”
That the Tories have come this far without presenting a costed plan “raises a lot of alarm bells” but is also in keeping with the overall tone of their campaign, said Myer Siemiatycki, a professor of politics at Ryerson University.
“I suspect what’s going to happen is we are going to get a release of something that will be called a program and budget as close to the election date as the Conservatives feel they can get away with, leaving as little time as possible for criticism,” he said.