Statement from Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown on the government’s release of unaudited financial statements

The following is a statement from the Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown on the government’s release of unaudited financial statements: 

“The decision of the Wynne Liberals to release the province’s financial statements without the opinion of Ontario’s Auditor General is unprecedented.  

“The Auditor General’s findings reveal an $11 billion hole in the Wynne Liberals’ budget, and in an attempt to discredit her findings, the Wynne Liberals held a desperate media avail. 

“But Ontarians know better. They know that given the choice between Ontario’s independent auditor responsible for examining the government’s finances, or a tired and self-interested Liberal government, they will trust the Auditor General. 

“The Wynne Liberals continue to break their legal obligations, stonewall the province’s independent officers, and now have released financial statements without the opinion of the Auditor General for the first time in Ontario’s history.  They are anything but open and transparent, and are only looking after the best interests of the Ontario Liberal Party.  

“Critically, the Auditor General’s numbers confirm what the Ontario PC Caucus has said all along: this government has no credible plan to balance the budget. We can’t get the real facts from this government, only Wynne Liberal spin. The reality is until Ontario’s poor financial state is properly addressed, the government will continue to slash funding to health care, close needed schools, and raise hydro rates. Ontarians deserve better.”