Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath said Wednesday she’s concerned that the Ford government’s recent review of the books is laying the groundwork for the privatization of public assets.   On the heels of Ford’s theatrical pronouncement that the deficit is deep and the province is in need of cash, this week’s release of a review of the books recommended a “divestiture” ...

Andrea Horwath gathered the NDP caucus in Scarborough Friday, delivering a leader’s report in which she said the role of the Official Opposition in Ontario is as critical as it ever has been. “Doug Ford has attacked the courts. He’s attacked democracy. Now, he’s attacking any person in Ontario who dares to disagree with him,” said Horwath. “This week has ...

Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath issued the following statement on Doug Ford’s use of the legislature this weekend to push through a bill that will violate the Charter rights of all Ontarians in order to interfere in Toronto’s election. “NDP MPPs would be very happy to sit all weekend to deal with the issues facing Ontarians, issues such as painfully ...

Sep 10, 2018 @ 15:55 Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath is calling Doug Ford’s vow to invoke the notwithstanding clause and suspend part of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for Ontarians an unprecedented abuse of power.   “Invoking the notwithstanding clause in a case like this is an unprecedented move, literally suspending the Charter rights of Ontario people ...

Labour Day statement from Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath, “Labour Day is an important day for Ontarians to celebrate the protections and rights that generations of workers and unions have fought hard to secure over the years. Today, we celebrate our sisters and brothers who fought to ensure that all workers in Ontario could enjoy the gains made through better ...

Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath has named a northern NDP MPP as one of her new deputy leaders, and assigned key critic roles to the NDP’s northern team of MPPs to help make life better for northern families.   Horwath announced critic roles for the NDP, Ontario’s Official Opposition, on Thursday.   “Our strong team of Northern New Democrats will ...

Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath says Doug Ford’s decision to halt the opening of planned overdose prevention sites flies in the face of all advice from experts, community members, and volunteers, and risks the lives of Ontarians struggling with addiction.   “Late on Friday, the government ordered a halt to previously approved overdose prevention sites. The Premier is interfering with ...

Official Opposition leader Andrea Horwath has tabled a motion in the legislature that will be debated Thursday to stop Doug Ford’s attempts to meddle in municipal elections in Toronto, Muskoka, Peel, York and Niagara.   “Doug Ford didn’t consult anyone before announcing that he plans to pass a law that amounts to rigging municipal elections,” said Horwath at a rally ...

Official Opposition leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement in response to Doug Ford’s plan to cut social assistance rates and cancel the basic income pilot program:   “Doug Ford’s decision to slash the meagre increases to social assistance is appalling, it drags Ontario backwards, and it pushes those already at a disadvantage even deeper into poverty. For Mr. Ford’s ...

With municipal elections well under way, Doug Ford’s move to take revenge on his political enemies by interfering in races across the province is petty and mean-spirited, says Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath — who led Monday’s question period with a sharp indictment of the move.   “Doug Ford cooked up his backroom plot to steal power from the people, ...

Doug Ford is dragging Ontario backwards, now including a $330 million-per-year cut to planned mental health funding — a slash that will mean longer waits, less supports and more people in crisis. Andrea Horwath, Leader of Ontario’s Official Opposition, spoke out against Ford’s funding slash Thursday in the legislature, but the Ford Conservatives dug in their heels, worrying Ontarians that ...

Leader of the Official Opposition Andrea Horwath said Tuesday that any claim that the Ford government makes about transparency at Hydro One under Bill 2 is meaningless unless it includes full disclosure of all payments to outgoing Hydro One executives and board members, and called for an amendment to Bill 2 to accomplish that. “Mr. Ford must immediately tell the ...

At the first question period for the new legislative session on Monday morning, July 16, 2018, official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath grilled Doug Ford for spending his first weeks in office cutting deals for insiders, lobbyists and friends he owes favours to.   “Instead of being a premier for everyone, we’ve seen Doug Ford making backroom deals that are driven ...

Leader of the Official Opposition Andrea Horwath said Thursday’s throne speech shows Ontario being dragged backwards, thanks to backroom deals Ford has made with insiders and lobbyists. “He’s dividing Ontarians, and sending a clear message that Ford will govern just for a few,” said Horwath. “For well-connected Ford insiders or lobbyists, apparently Ford’s happy to work out a deal to ...

  Doug Ford appears to be governing from backrooms, making changes to laws in secret, without disclosing who asked for those changes, or who he consulted with. Three separate regulations scheduled to come into effect over the long weekend were quietly postponed indefinitely, with no public notice.   “No one voted for business to be conducted in secret, behind closed ...