Provincial Election Comes Into Focus

Experience suggests that most elections are decided in the last seven to ten days. The NDP have emerged as a real option to win the election and that has begun to attract a focus on their policies and candidates.

The PCs have run a “safe” campaign and now they must rewrite their strategy. If they continue to slide in the polls, they will lose another election. They must stop attacking the Liberals and focus on the NDP, and must aggressively promote their plan. Doug Ford needs to convince voters he is up to the job.

The NDP’s comfort zone is as a protest movement. They can be very successful in opposition but that often leads to policy promises that aren’t responsible or practical. They offer a progressive alternative to the Liberal government without taking government to the right side of the spectrum as offered by the PCs. The NDP are an attractive option for voters who voted for the Liberals in 2014 but now want a new government.

The Ontario construction industry is preparing to work with a new government and we expect the context of our discussion to change dramatically from the "promise a day" pattern of the campaign. We now know the province is running a deficit over $11 billion. Add to this the net debt of the province and rising interest rates, and debt charges are the fastest growing segment of the budget. No matter who wins, they will be forced to take immediate steps to reduce it or experience a downgrade from the bond rating firms.

Ontario’s debt will be the first item on the agenda. Our first priority will be to make sure that ongoing infrastructure investment remains a funded priority. It’s vital to support growing communities and continue to build our economy and create employment.