Ford, Wynne warn of dire outcomes from an NDP government

If you believe Doug Ford and Kathleen Wynne, an NDP government would bring Ontario indefinite strikes, high unemployment, skyrocketing taxes, and farmlands lost to wind turbines. The Progressive Conservative leader and the Liberal premier raised the alarm Wednesday about what they consider the risks of supporting the New Democrats, after recent polls suggest the party is tied with the Tories for the most support.

Ford called the prospect of an NDP government “scary,” saying the party would sacrifice farmlands for wind turbines against the wishes of rural communities. He also invoked former NDP premier Bob Rae in suggesting the province would return to high unemployment and high taxes and see companies leave en masse if NDP Leader Andrea Horwath were to seize the reins on June 7. Wynne, who has framed the NDP platform as unachievable, zeroed in on the party’s stance against back-to-work legislation. Speaking at an election campaign stop in Toronto, Wynne said that while she believes in the collective bargaining process, the government needs a tool to use when that process hits a wall.

Horwath told the Toronto Star that she couldn’t imagine a scenario in which she would use backto-work legislation, as the Liberal government did to end a five-week strike by college faculty last year. Horwath said Wednesday labour strife in the education sector can be avoided by properly investing in the system.