Hide The Surplus ?

John Tory Leader of the Ontario PC Party

March 15, 2006

Editorial - Standard Freeholder

John Tory, the man who wants to be elected premier of Ontariio in October 2007, claims the Dalton McGuinty Liberals have quietly built up a huge surplus while crying poor and hard times.

According to Tory’s math, the Liberals have stashed away $2.5 billion by overcharging Ontario taxpayers. Tory claims the money will be used to purchase votes, a shell game the federal Liberals crafted while in power.

The game goes like this: play down revenues whle warning taxpayers that things aren’t as bright as they might appear. Around eleciton time start spending the surplus (a.k.a buying votes with taxpayers’ cash).

There is some evidence that the Liberals are sitting on some stored up cash. They’ve earmarked $6 billion for post-secondary education. In voter rich Toronto, an expanded subway line has received $1.5 billion.

The Canadian Taxpayer’s Federation always claimed that the Liberals had purposely overestimated the deficit left by the Conservative government.

If the Liberals have indeed built up a huge suprlus and are planning to use ti to buy votes in their 2007 pre-eleciton bid, people in Cornwall and S.D. and G should be furious.

Back in December health Minister George Smitherman came to town for an annoucement concerning the Cornwall Community Hospital restructuring project.

What he didn’t bring was a cheque to get the project up and running.

Instead, he informed hospital officials that the green light by the ministry was being put on delay until 2008, a two-year setback that will certainly drive up the projected cost.

The announcement came just as the public –fundraising campaign was about to surpass $12 million.

If the McGuinty Liberals are playing a game of hie-the-money, they should be reiminded what happened to their federal cousins who played fast and loose with the real state of federal finances to buy votes at election time.