Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory says he will defer loan repayments for medical students and consider pay raises for family physicians to address Ontario's doctor shortage.
Mr. Tory says fewer doctors are now accepting patients than they were in 2003 when the Liberals were elected.
If elected, the Conservatives have promised to spend $400-million to keep doctors in the province. Some of that cash could be used to boost their salaries, he said.
Mr. Tory met with several London residents on Wednesday, including one new mother who is paying a private clinic $400 a year because she can't find a family doctor.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Tory was again forced again to defend his plan to extend public education funding to religious schools during a radio interview on Wednesday morning, the third day of campaigning for the Oct. 10 vote.
When asked whether he was prepared to lose the election on the issue, he said there were other elements to his election platform, including fixing the doctors' platform and strong leadership.
But, he added: “Yeah, this is part of my platform and I'm going to stand on it and the voters get to decide.”
Mr. Tory said it might have been a mistake to enshrine support for Catholic schools in the BNA act, but that those schools have proven to be successful. He said he wants to offer the same benefits to other religious minorities.
