The Ontario election leaders’ debate on May 16 kicked off with Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford and Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca criticizing each other’s proposed policies.
Ford rattled off a list of accusations at Del Duca, including that he wants to bring back licence plate renewal fees and increase highway tolls.
Del Duca, whose party went from forming the government to third party status behind the NDP in the 2018 election, jumped in to refute each point, directing Ford to the Ontario Liberals’ website to check their campaign pledges.
Ford’s opening statement emphasized his plan to build Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass, saying the economy is booming.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she is pitching hope that the New Democrats can fix what matters most to Ontarians.
Throughout the debate, Ford faced a barrage of attacks from the other party leaders, but largely refused to take the bait, instead referring back to his own messages of building infrastructure and affordability.
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner also laid an attack on Ford, criticizing the premier for capping compensation increases for nurses and other public sector workers.
Ford said his party would fund nurses’ tuition fees if they work in an underserved area, and noted that his government gave personal support workers a $3-an-hour raise and are giving nurses a $5,000 retention pay bonus.
The other three leaders argued that repealing the legislation that capped the compensation increases of nurses and other public sector workers would help them more than giving them a one-time payment.
That legislation, Bill 124, also affected teachers and sparked a tense round of education contract negotiations with Ford’s government.
Teachers and education staff, who staged various strikes and work-to-rule campaigns over the wage restraint, increases to class sizes and Ford mandating two online learning courses for high school graduation, though the government eventually eased its positions on the latter two. The government also briefly mused about cuts to full-day kindergarten.
Ford said he is proud of his government’s record on education, saying he is helping students prepare for jobs of the future.
Not included in Monday’s debate where leaders of the New Blue Party and the Ontario Party, which each currently have an MPP in the Ontario legislature, similar to the Greens.
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