New Boss, Same As The Old Boss

QUEEN’S PARK –Ernie Hardeman, Oxford MPP and PC Critic for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said today’s throne speech today illustrated that the new government under Premier Wynne is just more of the same old Liberal government.

“Today was an opportunity for the new Premier to send a bold, clear signal that she is going in a different direction but she failed,” said Hardeman. “Instead this throne speech contained new spending and a lack of real plan to create jobs.”

A throne speech is delivered by the Lieutenant Governor at the start of a new session and outlines the direction of the government. It has been 126 days since Premier McGuinty resigned and prorogued the Legislature to end committee investigations.

“We believe real change is needed to create jobs for the 600,000 unemployed Ontarians and to address this government’s out of control spending,” said Hardeman. “It is a time when the government needs to be prepared to make difficult decisions – and today Kathleen Wynne signaled she isn’t.”

The throne speech acknowledged Ontario’s troubling net debt-to-GDP ratio which was approximately 37% in 2011. This is the same net debt-to-GDP ratio that Greece had in 1984, which then reached 66% by 1994 and in 2011 sat at 163%.

“Ontario is on the road to become the next Greece; we cannot afford to stay on the same path with only superficial changes,” said Hardeman.

The speech contained only one reference to agriculture within a list of industries. There was no mention of the horseracing industry.

“The speech paid lip service to agriculture but did not address the issues that would actually grow the industry such as cutting red tape and an Ontario food procurement policy,” Hardeman said. “It’s clear that agriculture is no more a priority under this Premier than it was under the last one.”
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For more information, contact:
Ernie Hardeman, MPP Oxford
(416) 325-1239