The New Democratic Party of Ontario Platform
Arts
Ontario families deserve a vibrant cultural sector that promotes Ontario artists
and protects Ontario jobs. Howard Hampton and Ontario’s NDP say it’s time for a
fair deal that supports Ontario’s artists.
The Ontario Arts Council budget must be increased to reflect the scope of
creativity we have in this province. Although Ontario is home to 40% of this
country’s artists, Ontario ranks as seventh of the provinces in per capita
provincial arts council spending. Ontario should set a goal of reaching at least
the national average.
Ontario’s NDP supports meaningful Status of the Artist legislation that meets
the diverse needs of professional artists and other cultural workers. Status of
the Artist Legislation should include labour standards and taxation measures to
immediately improve the working lives of artists in Ontario as well as: creating
a collective bargaining framework for Ontario’s artists protections for child
performers; access to training and professional development programs and funds
(training programs specifically for artists should be made available and not be
contingent on EI eligibility as many artists are currently not EI eligible).
Encouraging Tourism in Toronto and in Ontario
The NDP Party of Ontario did not answer this question.
Environmental Policy for Ontario
Howard Hampton and the NDP will work for clean, green communities and fairness
for hard-working families by:
- Committing Ontario to meet its Kyoto targets by 2012.
- Setting targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by no less than 6% below
their 1990 level by 2012 and to no less than 25 per cent below their 1990 level
by 2020.
- Making Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner a tough effective climate change
watchdog who holds accountable any government that fails to meet its Kyoto
targets.
- Introducing tough Community Right-to-Know laws so hard-working families will
know what toxins are in the air they breathe, the water they drink, their
workplaces and backyards.
- Getting tough on polluters and working with Ontario families to reduce our
energy consumption and our reliance on coal-fired electricity.
Will you fully fund all faith based schools in Ontario?
Howard Hampton and the NDP are committed to fairness in education. Every child
in Ontario has a right to an excellent school, properly staffed with the
programs our children need.
Dalton McGuinty and John Tory would like voters to believe that faith-based
schools are a defining issue for Ontario because neither party wants to talk
about the real crisis in our existing publicly-funded school systems. After all,
the Conservatives are responsible for the broken funding formula, and McGuinty’s
Liberals broke their promise to fix it.
The most urgent problem in public education today is fixing the school funding
formula. John Tory is wrong on the issues that matter to working families. His
plan to let faith-based schools into the public system would continue the drift
into two-tier education that’s happening under Dalton McGuinty.
The NDP would make sure schools have the resources they need to provide an
excellent education to all students by carrying out an annual public review of
the funding formula. Rather than spreading the already meagre amount of school
funding across more faith-based schools and therefore relying on parents to
subsidise their children’s education further, the NDP would stop making parents
reach into their pockets to pay for school essentials by restoring the Local
Priorities Grant. This way, schools will be funded the way the Education
Equality Task Force recommended – at a rate of $200 per student. Children with
autism will also get the support they deserve – the NDP will fund Intensive
Behavioural Intervention (IBI) services in classrooms and clear the waiting list
for autism services.
Dalton McGuinty got it wrong when he broke his promise to fix the school funding
formula. John Tory got it wrong when he tried to distract the public’s attention
from his party’s past transgressions in Education with a new platform issue of
publicly-funded faith-based schools. New Democrats will get it right and make
sure that all kids have an equal start and get the education they deserve.
Will you upload social services to the province? If yes, when?
Howard Hampton and the NDP will reverse four years of McGuinty Liberals
weakening Ontario communities by delivering a fair deal to municipalities and
today’s working families. The NDP plan to rebalance the provincial-municipal
fiscal relationship will freeze transit fares for two years, ease pressure on
rising property taxes and provide increased support for key municipal services.
It’s time for a fair deal for municipalities and families. Highlights of the
NDP’s plan include:
- Two-year transit fare freeze to keep cars off the road and protect transit
riders from punishing fare hikes. As of Jan. 1, 2008, we will assume Ontario’s
traditional responsibility for paying 50 per cent of public transit operating
costs. Municipalities and property taxpayers will see $220 million a year in
benefits. That includes $110 million a year for Toronto.
- Upload court security costs to provide needed relief for municipalities and
property taxpayers. As of Jan. 1, 2008, the provincial government will assume
the cost of providing security services in courtrooms. Municipalities and
municipal property taxpayers across the province will see $200 million in
benefits which they can choose to use for initiatives that keep our communities
safe, like hiring more police officers. Toronto will see $40 million a year in
benefits.
- Honour Ontario’s cost-sharing and funding agreements and pay the $225 million
the McGuinty government has been short-changing municipalities. That includes
$71 million a year for Toronto starting Jan. 1, 2008.
- Upload disability assistance and related drug benefit costs. The Ontario
Disability Support Program and the Ontario Drug Benefit Program are provincial
programs. New Democrats will remove those costs from the property tax base by
the end of 2011 and make sure the province pays them. Municipalities and
property taxpayers will see $800 million in benefits. That includes $175 million
a year for Toronto by 2011.
- On track to upload the download by 2015.
The NDP plan will mean $221 million in benefits for Toronto by 2008 and almost
$400 million in benefits by 2011.
For the leader of your party
Vote
In 100 words or less please explain why anyone in Ontario should vote in the
upcoming election.
Ontarians should vote in the election because they don’t want four more years of
broken promises. Ontarians want and deserve an honest, reliable government that
will work hard for working families on the issues that matter the most.
Ontario’s NDP has made six key commitments during this election campaign to
demonstrate their commitment to getting a fair deal for working families:
- RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE TO $10 IMMEDIATELY AND ROLL BACK DALTON MCGUINTY'S
$40,000 PAY RAISE
- PROTECT ONTARIANS’ HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT WITH RIGHT-TO-KNOW LAW
- $450 HEALTH TAX REBATE FOR WORKING FAMILIES
- STOP FORCING PARENTS TO FUNDRAISE FOR SCHOOL ESSENTIALS
- REMOVE FINANCIAL BARRIERS TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION & TRAINING
- REDUCE HOSPITAL WAITS BY EXPANDING HOME CARE
Vote for Me
In 100 words or less please explain why anyone in Ontario
should choose you to be the Premier by voting for your party?
Howard Hampton and Ontario’s NDP understands hard-working families and puts them
first. Dalton McGuinty has let Ontarians down when he ignored their needs and
awarded himself a $40 000 pay raise. John Tory is wrong on the issues that
matter to working families; he wants to privatize public institutions likes
hospitals yet refuses to raise minimum wage to enable working families to afford
them. Howard Hampton is the only leader you can count on to fight for a fair
deal for you and your family.
Welfare & me
As an MPP you will reside in Toronto, imagine that you have a monthly budget of
exactly $342 for housing including utilities and $206 for all other expenses
(food, transportation, clothing, personal grooming items, etc) or a total of
$548 per month in income. Please provide your budget or method of living on a
monthly income of $548. Assume this is for a single person living in Toronto.
No one can live on this amount of money in an expensive city like Toronto. This
is why Howard Hampton and Ontario’s NDP developed a Fair Plan to make life more
affordable for hard-working families. A Fair Plan means:
- raising the minimum wages to $10/hour now
- eliminating the unfair McGuinty Health Tax for workers that earn less than
$48,000 and giving $450 back to the individuals earning between $48,000 and
$80,000
- increasing ODSP payments
- freezing transit fares
- introducing the "Freeze Till Sale Plan" which will freeze your property tax
assessment at 2005 levels until the property is sold (or improvements for more
than $40,000 are made)
Howard Hampton and the NDP understand the needs and priorities of hard-working
families and believe that no one who works full-time should be forced to live in
poverty.
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