Horwath targets Ford in his riding
Ontario’s NDP leader took her election campaign on Monday to the riding Doug Ford is hoping to capture, slamming the Tory leader’s tax plan on his home turf as recent polls suggest the two are the ones most likely to form government.
Andrea Horwath said Ford has been promising to cut a middleclass tax bracket by 20 per cent, but she contended the pledge will see the richest people benefit the most.
“We can’t afford Mr. Ford’s plan. It will give tax cuts to the rich, where everyone else is going to pay much, much more to make a go of life.”
Ford has said his plan, which would only kick in during the third year of a Tory government, would save those earning between $42,960 and $85,923 annually a maximum of $786 per person. Those on the higher end of the tax bracket would see the largest savings.
Tory spokeswoman Melissa Lantsman said Ford’s plan will put money in the pocket of taxpayers, not government.
“Andrea Horwath and the NDP don’t believe in cutting taxes,” she said in a statement.
Ford, meanwhile, appeared in Newmarket, where he was pressed on when the Tories would release a costed platform. He repeated his vow to present the document before the election, but gave no further details.
“We’ve been laying out our plan every single day … we put a dollar figure beside every single announcement that we have,” said Ford.
With just 10 days before the election, some recent polls suggest Horwath’s New Democrats have jumped into the lead. The Tories started the race with a sizable lead that has evaporated as their campaign has been plagued by controversies that include allegations Ford was involved in selling bogus party memberships and allegations stolen customer data from a highway toll company may have been used by some candidates to win nomination races.
Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne spent much of her time at a campaign stop in downtown Toronto attacking Horwath’s opposition to the use of back-to-work legislation.