Ontario Liberal budget full of ‘socialism,’ says Miller
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
BRACEBRIDGE — Ontario is becoming more socialist, says Norm Miller.
“This government wants to play a bigger part in people’s lives,” the Progressive Conservative Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP said in his post budget analysis Wednesday.
“I would call what it’s doing as socialism.”
The budget offers lots of more spending for pre-school day-care help, continued support of free post-secondary education, free pharma-care for Ontarians under 25 and over 65 on OHIP, money for mental health and dental care among much more.
But it all comes at a huge debt and deficit cost.
An hour after watching Liberal Finance Minister Charles Sousa end his billion-dollar spending spree, Miller called it “buying votes.”
He just wishes there was more in it for Muskoka hospitals, who only got $750,000 more this year, less than the 4.6 per cent that most other hospitals in Ontario got.
Speaking en route to Huntsville — after streaming the budget in his Bracebridge constituency office (“I’ve sat through a lot of budgets in my time”) — he noted the ‘Plan for Care and Opportunity’ means a $6.7 billion Ontario deficit in 2018; and that would push the province’s debt to almost $325 billion.
And that the budget won’t be balanced until 2024-25.
He called the numbers bogus, noting the auditor general said they Liberals were playing around with billions of dollars that are widely subject to accounting interpretation and the sudden vagaries of a Liberal budget.
He said they don’t stand up to proper “accounting techniques” and should “not be bogus.”
He said the last 10 years the Liberals have been “spending more and taking more.”
Ontario’s median income is up only 3.7 per cent the past decade, while other provinces are doing better than that.
He cited Saskatchewan, where he said their median income is up ten times Ontario’s
And while he doesn’t oppose the intent of the budget, he said “it’s important for government to do things to help business through tax cuts.”
Miller said he didn’t see much (without a full read) in more money for skills training and apprenticeships, which he and the Conservatives have long complained about the lack thereof.
So, what would the PC Party do differently with their budget, if elected June 7?
“It’s safe to say we won’t outspend them.”
Like finding more ways to save money than spend.
Although Miller did note the Liberals said they have found “$1.4 billion in efficiencies.”
Miller, who knows a bit about budgets, says they’re a bit of joke now, most of the details being released a week ahead.
“It used to be a big deal.”
He remembers when his father, Frank, was treasurer and he “thought about resigning” after some details of one of his budgets were leaked.
He said today the pre-budget lock-up in the hours before — for Opposition parties, the media and economic analysts to study it and be ready to talk about it right after — is stupid.
“You have to sign in and swear an oath. The security is a joke.”
The spending is all out there, said Miller, who has been campaigning hard ahead of the official start of the election campaign, speaking out and releasing more new releases since last fall.
He said he “never” takes for granted “earning the privilege” of being MPP.
Miller is one of 27 Tory MPPs in the legislature, one of the senior members of the caucus having been elected in 2001.
He says he hopes the others respect his years of service and opinions.
He says there are weekly caucus meetings and the staff reaches out to the MPPs to consult them.
Miller said he is “impressed” by new leader Doug Ford, who he called a hard worker.
He said in the past, when he supported leadership candidate Christine Elliott over former leader Patrick Brown, it took him “eight weeks” to get over the defeat.
“There’s no time to mope — you’ve got to get over it.”
This time “I got over it in a day,” he said of supporting Caroline Mulroney, who came third of four who ran.
