NDP’s Andrea Horwath says she’ll do her best to fight cuts at Queen’s Park

ndrea Horwath says she will do her best to keep incoming premier Doug Ford’s government in check, but says it will be challenging given that Ford has not been “straight up” about the cost of his promises.

Horwath’s NDP won 40 seats on election night in Ontario and will form the Official Opposition once work resumes at Queen’s Park, likely in the fall.

“Forty seats, again, is not government, but it an opportunity for us to hold Doug Ford’s feet to the fire,” Horwath told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning on Tuesday.

Horwath, who won her Hamilton Centre seat handily, says the party will fight hard against any cuts to government services.

“We were hoping to form government and be able to implement our ideas. People gave us the Official Opposition role, which is nothing to sneeze at, particularly with Doug Ford at the helm, in my opinion. So we’re going to be busy.”

Horwath says the party wanted to win but it considers the results to be a success.

“We knew that it was either going to be Ford or myself, in terms of the win. We really didn’t have a final idea of what was going to happen because there were lots, as you know, lots of seats where the vote was pretty close,” she said.

“We were hopeful. But again I respect the decision that people made in Ontario and look forward to doing my best as the official opposition leader to find out exactly what Mr. Ford has got in mind.”