Ontario can’t afford Dalton McGuinty
NEWS RELEASE
Ted Arnott, MPP
Wellington – Halton Hills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15, 2012
Ontario can’t afford Dalton McGuinty
Drummond Report confirms Provincial Government’s Spending Problem
(Queen’s Park) – The Drummond Report is a wake up call for a Liberal Government which has been
asleep at the switch for the past 8 years, says Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott.
Released today, the report contains 362 recommendations on 543 pages outlining how the
Government can cut costs and find program efficiencies in order to get its budget deficit under
control.
“The Drummond Report proves decisively that the McGuinty Government has been spending with
little regard for the long-term fiscal consequences to the Province,” said Mr. Arnott. “It reaffirms
what our caucus has been saying all along – we just can’t afford Dalton McGuinty.”
“The key question today is which of these recommendations is Dalton McGuinty going to accept and
implement?” Mr. Arnott asked. “Will he take immediate action, or is this report just going to gather
dust?”
On page 81 of the report, Mr. Drummond writes: “The roots of Ontario’s current fix lie in both the
economy and in the province’s record of failing to keep growth in government spending in line with
revenue growth.”
“It is clear that Premier McGuinty’s overspending is the largest contributing factor to the budgetary
mess we’re in,” Mr. Arnott said. “People in Wellington-Halton Hills know that he isn’t the one who
can lead us out of it.”
Ontario’s fiscal clock is ticking. With a $16 billion deficit on a spending plan of $124 billion, the
province is in effect borrowing $1.8 million an hour.
“The longer they wait to take action, the deeper the hole they dig,” Mr. Arnott remarked.
Mr. Arnott concluded by drawing a comparison with the private sector: “If the Province of Ontario
were a company, the CEO would be immediately dismissed upon receipt of a report like this.”
– 30 –
Ted Arnott, MPP
Phone: 416-325-3880
Email: ted.arnott@pc.ola.org