Outgoing MPP Lalonde says PC platform is unrealistic and ‘full of holes’

Outgoing Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Jean-Marc Lalonde says the Progressive Conservative Party's platform for the upcoming provincial election is full of funding holes, empty promises and just plain bad ideas.

With a provincial election set to take place in October, Liberals and Conservatives across the province are rolling out platforms in an effort to sway voters.

Although Lalonde recently announced his retirement from provincial politics, he said he still has a lot to say about the "so-called promises" the PCs are making.

"The PC platform is not a plan to govern, it's a collection of political strategies," said Lalonde. "That platform has a massive, multi-billion dollar hole in it. We all know what that means: the PCs are going to cut health care and education, and download services onto local municipalities, because that's what the PCs always do.

"Are our rural school buses safe in the PC platform? What about our local hospitals? These are very big, very serious questions that need to be asked."

Lalonde pointed out a number of what he calls "me-too promises" and "bad ideas" outlined in the platform. He said the PCs "nearly destroyed" education and health care in the province and said under the McGuinty government, there are more nurses (the PCs fired them), the lowest wait times in Canada (the PCs refused to measure them), and 18 new hospitals (the PCs closed 28).

He was also quick to point out the amount of funding for new projects the Liberal government brought to Glengarry-Prescott-Russell in the last 15 years, including including eight new schools and 17 school expansions or renovations; three new Family Health Teams; two community health centres; the Canadian International Hockey Academy; and the cleanup of the Canadian International Paper lagoon in Hawkesbury.

"I said it before and I will say it again," he said. "I am very proud of everything we've accomplished during my time as MPP. A lot of great things have happened in this riding, but there is much more work to be done. We cannot afford to put our continued success and prosperity at risk."

When it comes to the PCs claims that they will abolish the "wasteful" Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), Lalonde defended the organizations, noting that more than 99.3 per cent of funding to LHINs goes directly to front-line care.

"Champlain LHIN allocates $2.2 billion to 210 health service providers with an operating budget of $6.4 million," he said. "This means that the LHIN allocates 99.71 per cent of all funding received to its health service providers."

The veteran MPP was also critical of the PCs promise to introduce full-day kindergarten, something he said the Liberals have already done: "In September, full-day kindergarten will be available in almost 800 schools. The following year, it will be offered at nearly 1,700 schools.

"But after calling full-day kindergarten a 'frill' and a 'shiny new car,' the PCs suddenly want Ontarians to believe they'll keep it. They're only saying that because they know how popular it is with families, but they can't be trusted to keep it."

Lalonde said the PCs are dreaming if they hope to make the smart meter program optional. He said they are necessary to reduce electricity consumption and keep costs down for families.

"They are working," he remarked. "Making them optional would reduce conservation and increase the cost of electricity for those who are managing their electricity consumption. Essentially, those on smart meters would be subsidizing those who opt out of the program."

Lalonde said the PCs are also proposing to get rid of the debt retirement charge on hydro bills - which the PC Party created - but they haven't accounted for the $350 million it will cost.

"I've spoken about the debt retirement charge before," Lalonde said. "What they want to do just doesn't make sense. They opposed closing dirty coal-fired plants that pollute our air and make Ontarians sick, and they oppose the Liberal plan to build a clean, renewable energy supply."

Lalonde noted it will be interesting to see how voters react to the platform and he is hopeful people in this riding will remember the success and prosperity the Liberal government helped create here at home.