NDP vows to regulate gas prices, New Blue struggles for recognition
Despite being held back from the campaign trail after testing positive for COVID-19, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath instead went online Friday and vowed that her party, if elected, will regulate the price of gas in a bid to save people money at the pumps.
The commitment was made as party leaders spread across the province Friday seeking to secure votes with advance polls already open and less than two weeks remaining before the June 2 Ontario election.
“Every day, people are being gouged by oil and gas companies who are already making record profits,” Horwath said. “It's time for Ontarians to get a break at the pumps. We're going to cap gas prices and ban gouging — so you pay less.”
She said the NDP will regulate retail and wholesale mark-up of prices. The Ontario Energy Board will set a weekly price that includes reasonable profits for gas companies — not more.
Horwath noted during the previous 2018 election campaign that Doug Ford promised to lower gas prices by 10 cents per litre, but failed to do so.
Gas prices across Ontario have reached record highs in recent days at well over $2 per litre, even though the cost of crude oil and refined products have not reached record highs.
The Progressive Conservatives passed legislation while in government to implement a 5.7-cent cut to the gas tax for six months starting July 1.
Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca was in Ottawa on Friday where he committed that his party, if elected, would be funding the city's third stage LRT construction and criticized Doug Ford's handling of the Ottawa occupation.
“Four years ago Doug Ford told everyone he was for the people and that's still the biggest fraud he perpetrated during the course of that campaign,” Del Duca said.
“He's not for the people living here in Ottawa, who he abandoned during their most dire moment of need.”
Del Duca reiterated the party's commitment of two years of “a buck a ride” public transit fares and a 50 per cent funding of Ottawa's regional transport plan, including the Stage 3 LRT construction.
A provincial inquiry into the troubled construction and repeated breakdowns of the Confederation Line is to begin soon after the June 2 election, but Del Duca said the commitment stands, regardless of the inquiry's findings.
One party striving to capture more attention has been the New
Blue Party of Ontario, but many voters remain unaware of their platform.
What connects the party's supporters is “greater than a specific policy promise,” said leader Jim Karahalios.
“It's fighting for restoring the processes of democracy and integrity in the political party system,” he said, adding that it's necessary “because the Doug Ford PCS have contempt for the traditional voters and have shut those people up.”
A Leger/postmedia poll showed support for the New Blue was at three per cent across Ontario ahead of the provincial election.
It's a small percentage of decided voters, said the executive vice-president at Leger, Andrew Enns.
“I will say that they've consistently, in the past number of polls, been showing up a little stronger regionally in the north,” Enns said.
“It looks like they've landed on some combination of a few good candidates in the north and are potentially tapping into that.”
(Doug Ford is) not for the people living here in Ottawa, who he abandoned during their most dire moment of need.