Two visions for Ontario

Ahead of Thursday’s final leadership vote, the contenders for next leader of the Progressive Conservative party make their cases

ed by the roads, highways and transportation corridors needed to move goods and people. However, for years now, the Liberals have failed to offer Ontarians a coherent energy plan, absent which the sale of parts of Hydro One is akin to nothing more than selling the house but keeping the mortgage and debt.

I believe we should review all government assets. Those that do not serve the core functions of government should be divested with the full value of these assets going to build the roads, highways, transit and infrastructure our economy needs. However, divesting assets without first developing a coherent energy plan, as the Liberals have done, is premature. It will do nothing more than increase Ontario’s debt and raise hydro rates further. Business will continue to suffer financially; Ontario’s families won’t find the relief they desperately need.

Ontario must also unlock the creativity and innovation of our entrepreneurs and job creators. Our province has world-class educational institutions and the brightest students in the world. However, we can and must do a better job of harnessing that talent by providing incentives to support new ideas and innovation. I want to empower bright young developers and entrepreneurs to solve real government and public policy challenges, to the benefit of all Ontarians.

These proposals will grow Ontario’s economy and create the well-paying jobs Ontarians need and deserve. However, we can’t begin to strengthen our economy without making fundamental changes to how our government operates.

There is great potential to be realized if we find ways for government to work better with business. At a fundamental level, we need to return the principle of customer service back to government. For that to happen, we need to simplify government access by establishing a single portal for information, services and approvals. This doesn’t have to be cumbersome or complicated; we literally have the technology at our fingertips.

There’s no question Ontario has a great deal of work ahead of us to put our province back on track. However, with an optimistic vision, an ambitious plan and a Progressive Conservative government, we can create the well-paying jobs Ontarians need, support the social programs they deserve and ensure our children and grandchildren inherit a legacy of hope, promise and prosperity. same old, same old approach.

When our membership is large and diverse enough to truly reflect a modern Ontario, and when we listen to them, we will build policies and a platform that wins Ontario’s trust, and we will the next election.

I believe every member should have a real voice in setting the priorities of our party — and of a PC government. During this campaign, I’ve heard some common priorities begin to emerge: more affordable energy; an education system that prepares graduates for jobs; better transportation to get people to work and goods to market; a more effective health-care system; less red tape; etc.

To give members this voice, I plan to introduce an innovative new process of continuous dialogue with party members to ensure the leadership always reflects their priorities. When our party’s priorities are our members’ priorities, and when our members’ priorities are Ontario’s priorities, we will not fail.

But, it will take more than just a new leader and the right platform to win the next election. It will take a disciplined, organized campaign operation in every riding across the province. My campaign team has been able to mobilize hundreds of volunteers to recruit more than 40,410, from every riding in the province, in just two months — that’s more than half of the party’s current total membership. We will build on this success, train first-rate candidates and campaign teams, recruit volunteers across the province, and campaign in every riding of Ontario.

It’s not going to be easy to win the next election. We can’t expect people to vote for the PC party just because they’re tired of the Liberals. We have to earn their votes. But we know how to do it. It will take hard work, energy and commitment. And it will take courage to leave behind the same old practices that are comfortable and familiar — but that have failed us in the last four elections.

I have already put in place a ground team that we can build on, and expanded our party to include people and communities who have never been active in politics before. We are well on the way to renewing our party for the win. I’m asking every member of the PC party of Ontario to join me on May 7 to finish this journey together. Ontario deserves it.