Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives have flip-flopped on a key plank in their election platform, backtracking on a pledge to keep the controversial health-care tax.
Just last week, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak’s office provided what appeared to be the first peak at the party’s campaign platform when it issued a statement saying he would not abolish the health tax if elected.
However, Mr. Hudak refused to repeat that pledge to reporters on Monday. In response to questions about the fate of the health tax introduced by the governing Liberals, he just said all options are on the table.
“We are considering all tax options and how to give families a break,” Mr. Hudak said. “We will be discussing in the time ahead what’s going to make the most sense for Ontario families.”
Mr. Hudak has frequently criticized the McGuinty government for saddling Ontario consumers with higher taxes and for wasting money. In fact, the point of Monday’s media scrum was to call attention to the $1-million the government is spending on “propaganda” pamphlets touting the new rebate on hydro bills.
But Mr. Hudak has not yet revealed what he would do differently if he wins the election on Oct. 6. The McGuinty government has attempted to exploit that void by calling Mr. Hudak “the man with no plan” and warning that he would unleash a “hidden agenda” of cut backs to health care.
“I don’t know how many different positions they’ve had in the last couple of days, but it’s astonishing to me that they don’t have a plan on something as important as health care,” Health Minister Deb Matthews said in a telephone interview on Monday.
Mr. Hudak’s refusal to clarify where he stands on the health premium, which costs Ontario taxpayers up to $900 each per year, was in stark contrast with a statement released by his office last Thursday.
“Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak has been very clear,” the statement said. “If elected premier, he would not cut the health tax or Ontario’s health care budget.”
The statement, titled “Minister of Health lies to nurses,” was issued in response to a campaign-style speech Ms. Matthews gave Thursday morning, when she told nurses Mr. Hudak would eliminate the health premium. Abolishing it, she said, would slash the province’s $46-billion health budget by $3-billion and result in massive cuts to front-line care.
Mr. Hudak’s office reinforced its statement last Thursday by having Tory MPP Sylvia Jones telephone several media outlets, including The Globe and Mail.
“Getting rid of the health-care premium is not an option,” Ms. Jones told The Globe. “We have no intention of getting rid of the health-care premium.”
Mr. Hudak would not comment on why his office had a different stand from his own. The flip flop was a rare misstep for a leader renowned for staying on message.
