Ontario PCs look like Liberals — only smarter

The new Ontario Progressive Conservative platform unveiled on the weekend is a pleasant surprise, not because it is full of brilliant public policy, but because it is a politically astute plan that gives the opposition party a better than even chance of winning next year’s election. That’s a first for this century.

The last few elections have conclusively shown that Ontarians prefer a centre-left government. Rather than grasping this, the PCs tied themselves in knots trying to figure out whether their problem was the leader or the campaign.

The party was trying to sell something people didn’t want to buy. Tough medicine, of any sort, isn’t popular in Ontario. We want governments that will do more and more for us.

PC Leader Patrick Brown gets that, and he has delivered, achieving the astounding feat of out-promising the Liberals while not breaking the bank to do it.

Brown cleverly neutralizes much of the Liberals’ plan by adopting it. Like pharmacare for young people, a $15 minimum wage, more child care and artificially deflated power rates? No problem, the PCs will give you all of that, and more. In effect, the PC plan lets voters choose the Liberals’ most popular ideas, but without getting the Liberals themselves in the bargain. That will prove attractive.

Brown’s move brings his party in line with popular thinking on climate change while creating the scope for a big income-tax cut.

Brown’s platform ditches the Liberals’ unpopular cap-and-trade plan and the $1.9 billion in annual spending that goes with it. Instead, Brown will bring in a simpler carbon tax, one that will raise somewhat more revenue than the Liberal tax.

He will use that carbon revenue to help pay for what the party bills as a 22.5 per cent reduction in income taxes in the lower two brackets. That will be popular.

Brown’s spending plan also relies on $2.8 billion in unspecified expense reductions. That will cause some fussing, but it’s about two per cent of overall provincial program spending. Unless government is 100 per cent efficient, this can be achieved. Like the early Stephen Harper, Brown is featuring five key promises. He has vowed to deliver on those promises or not seek a second term. It’s a stunt that’s creepily reminiscent of former premier Dalton McGuinty’s pledge not to raise taxes, but Brown hasn’t promised anything he can’t do.

The money is there for his income-tax cut. His additional reduction in power rates will be funded by returning the Hydro One dividend to ratepayers. His daycare subsidy will be enormously popular and isn’t restricted to government-licensed centres. His promise of $1.9 billion for mental health care is welcome and overdue. His promise of an act that is supposed to guarantee integrity in government is a gimmick designed primarily to underline a Liberal weakness.

Of his other promises, the most welcome is an accelerated schedule for the Liberals’ recently promised increase in long-term care beds. The Liberals have ignored this need for years and expansion is desperately required.

As a campaign plan, the platform has much to recommend it.