The reviews are in on the People’s Guarantee

The “People’s Guarantee: change that works for Ontario.”
 
It’s our platform. It’s our promise to voters. On Saturday Patrick Brown launched our plan, a full six months before the next election, to wide acclaim.

Toronto Star: “Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown has put forward a serious plan that will deserve serious consideration from Ontario voters.”
 
On mental health: Patrick Brown and the Ontario PCs have promised a $1.9 billion to build a comprehensive mental health system. This represents the largest provincial commitment in Canadian provincial history.
 
“So pleased to see topping up elementary & secondary school supports for services targeted at improving mental health and well-being, including funding awareness campaigns as part of [People’s Guarantee]”

 

“…a potentially historic investment for the province.”

 
“We’re very pleased to see the commitment by Ontario PC Leader [Patrick Brown] to increase funding for mental health services for post-secondary students. This is a huge priority on our campuses.”

 
“Great to see such a commitment to mental health.  We need to invest more for those in crisis and those requiring adequate support”

 
On child care: Patrick Brown and the Ontario PCs have promised to introduce a new Ontario child care refund to pay up to 75 per cent of a family’s childcare expenses, or up to $6,750 per child.
 
“This proposal has two main advantages. First, it delivers the largest benefit to lower and middle income families who most need help with childcare expenses. Second, it supports flexibility for those families who need part-time care, shiftwork, or irregular care arrangements…”
 
“…the Ontario PC childcare proposal offers improved, flexible benefits for all Ontario families.”

 
On housing: Patrick Brown and the Ontario PCs are committed to making housing more affordable in Ontario by addressing Ontario’s supply problem.
 
“Nice to see [an Ontario PC] commitment to create housing supply & support [affordable housing] by leveraging air rights along transit & underutilized parking lots.”

 
“Pleased that [Ontario PC Party] platform released today [People’s Guarantee] acknowledges challenge of low rental vacancy rates and promises to address the lack of rental supply.”

 
“Realtors are very pleased to see Patrick Brown and the Ontario Progressive Conservatives focus on affordable home ownership in their 2018 election platform. Their policy ideas on housing show that they have done their homework.”

 
On Northern Ontario: Patrick Brown has made Northern Ontario a priority since day one of his leadership. Patrick Brown and the Ontario PC’s have promised have an entire chapter devoted to Northern Ontario and are committed to realizing the region’s full potential.
 
“Today’s commitment by Patrick Brown to ‘reverse the 148% increase to the aviation fuel tax for all Northern airports’ is a welcome first step in addressing its impact on travellers, communities and the aviation industry.”

 
On transit: Patrick Brown and the Ontario PCs have promised major investments in public transit, including a commitment to an additional $5 billion for new subways in the Greater Toronto Area.
 
“Clear support for Mayor Tory’s relief line and the Scarborough Subway Extension is welcome.”

 
“The Board applauds the Ontario PC Party for making transit a priority issue. We think this is an important first step.”

 
“The PCs are also on the right track with their proposal to make subways a provincial responsibility and put $5 billion more into building them. That kind of transportation is increasingly a regional issue, and would be better handled by a regional authority.”

 
On Drive Clean: Patrick Brown and the Ontario PCs have promised to scrap Drive Clean for cars, SUVs, and minivans.  
 
“Very pleased to see [Ontario PC Party] Leader [Patrick Brown] commit to scrapping the ineffective and wasteful Drive Clean program. It does little for the environment while wasting time and money for consumers & auto dealers”

 
On the fiscal track: The Ontario PC’s platform is fully costed and the fiscal estimates have been deemed reasonable by Kevin page.
 
“The fiscal estimates underlying the Ontario PC platform have been deemed reasonable by the non-partisan Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy, University of Ottawa.”

 
“The IFSD believes that using the economic and fiscal assumptions from the Ontario Fall Economic Statement is a reasonable starting point for costing an election platform.”

 
On value for money: Taxpayers deserve value for money, and Ontarians deserve to see government spending go towards delivering services to those most in need. Patrick Brown and the Ontario PCs have promised to conduct a value-for-money audit to ensure government funds are not wasted.
 
“In my view, a government with firm attention to cost management can achieve savings in the range proposed by the Ontario PC platform.”

On post-secondary education: Patrick Brown and the Ontario PC’s funding will include targeted investments into mental health services at Ontario’s colleges and university campuses. 
 
“It’s great to see the commitment by Ontario PC Leader [Patrick Brown] to improve access to apprenticeship training.”

 
“…student mental health got a big boost this weekend when the [Ontario PC Party]
platform included a $1.9 Billion commitment to mental health.”

 
On energy: Patrick Brown and the Ontario PCs will provide hard-working families and businesses with urgent hydro relief, including lowering the average hydro bill by an additional 12 per cent.

“The Ontario Energy Association (OEA) welcomes a number of elements of the PC Party’s People’s Guarantee that reflect policy positions put forward by the OEA.”

 
“We welcome the OPC’s support of nuclear energy in Ontario.”

 

“[Patrick Brown] agree [Bruce Power] nuclear refurbs key to low-cost energy + creating jobs +clean air +medical isotopes”

 

On innovation: Patrick Brown and the Ontario PCs will work with Canadian owned high growth firms to create a graduate tax credit for employers who work in that firm.
 
“Pleased to see policy aimed at helping domestic tech firms scale-up in the [Ontario PC Party] platform released this weekend. Addressing Ontario’s access to talent gap is important for the growth of [Canada’s] high-tech ecosystem.”

 

On health care: Patrick Brown and the Ontario PCs will act to reduce emergency room and hospital wait times. A key part of this plan will support other areas of healthcare so that emergency rooms can once again be used for emergencies.
 
“The ideas Brown offered at the last healthcare roundtable were sensible. I found myself wondering if maybe he was the real deal. I’m spoiled; my MPP is great — Arnott works hard for our community. Is Brown cut from the same cloth? I’m beginning to think he is.”

 

“The CanCertainty Coalition, the united voice of 35 Canadian cancer organizations, applauds the Ontario PC party’s inclusion of funding for take-home cancer medications in their platform”

 

“We join [The CanCertainty Coalition] in applauding the [Ontario PC Party’s] commitment to equality for cancer patients”

 
On agriculture: Patrick Brown and the Ontario PCs recognize the important role that farmers and the food processing sector play in Ontario. The People’s Guarantee offers a number of supports for Ontario farmers, including increasing the Risk Management Program cap by $50 million and allowing unused portions to rollover to the next year.  
 
“We are pleased to see the PC party include policies for growing the non-supply managed agriculture sector in its policy platform.”

“Grain Farmers of Ontario applauds Ontario’s PC party for including support for growing the grains and oilseeds sector among their policy commitments.”