Well, no I don’t write the platform, but here is a brief on where the leadership candidates for the Ontario Conservatives stand as per their responses to a survey from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Please note that Christine Elliot did not return a completed survey, but responded via a letter highlighting various policy proposals. In order of responses received:
- Introduce a ‘Tax & Expenditure’ constitutional amendment to:
- To make the pre-McGunity Taxpayer Protection Act less easy for politicians to get their hands on;
- Cap spending at combined growth in inflation and population; and
- Prevent government from increasing spending during the fiscal year
- Abolish municipal property taxes in favour of a revenue sharing formula with the province
- Eliminate corporate welfare, including the auto bailouts
- Hold Senate elections
- Supports in principle, but will not include in his platform, the ability to ‘recall’ MPPs
- Allow Ontarians the right to purchase private health insurance
- End public funding of non-medically necessary procedures
- Overhaul the LCBO
- Protect property rights through a bilateral constitutional amendment
- Make unions voluntary while maintaining the right to join as a matter of choice
- Strengthen the Taxpayer Protection Act, but will not push to entrench in the constitution
- Cap spending at growth and inflation, but not make doing so mandatory in legislation
- Devote all end of year surpluses to debt repayment
- Eliminate corporate welfare, but stipulates that since the auto bailouts are going ahead regardless, the most excessive aspects must be reined in.
- Hold Senate elections
- Rejects ‘recall’
- Allow for the private delivery of health care, but does not directly touch on private insurance
- End public funding of non-medically necessary procedures
- Allow wine sales outside of the current regime in a system comparable to ‘The Beer Store’
- Introduce a ‘Property Owners Bill of Rights’ and support federal initiatives to protect property in the constitution
- Does not directly commit to the right to opt out of unions as a matter of choice, but does commit to restoring the secret ballot
- Overhaul Ontario’s tax regime with a flat tax
- Reform EI
- Freeze the minimum wage
- Reform voluntary overtime laws
- Make the pre-McGunity Taxpayer Protection Act less easy for politicians to get their hands on
- Use restraint in spending, but does will not make limiting spending to growth and inflation mandatory in legislation
- Will not eliminate corporate welfare
- Hold Senate elections
- Allow for the private delivery of health care, but does not directly touch on private insurance
- Will not commit to ending the public funding of non-medically necessary procedures, but promises a “review and reassessment”
- Will not commit to reforming the LCBO, but proses that an “efficiency review” be undertaken
- Protect property rights through a bilateral constitutional amendment
- Does not directly commit to the right to opt out of unions as a matter of choice, but promise to work with PCPO grassroots on developing policy on freedom of choice in unions
Cross-Posted at www.taxpayerblog.com
