Ontarians ‘pretty worried about what Doug Ford has in store,’ Horwath says

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says she and her MPPs have a “very important job ahead” to hold the Ford government accountable.

“People are pretty worried about what Doug Ford has in store, and so am I,” said Horwath, speaking to both new and returning MPPs — there are 40 in total — for the first time since the June 7 election.

The NDP doubled the number of seats it holds to become Ontario’s official opposition, and more than half are first-time MPPs. They held their first meeting all-day Thursday at a downtown Toronto hotel.

The Progressive Conservatives, under Leader Doug Ford, were elected with about 40 per cent of the popular vote, and they formally take office June 29. There are 76 PC MPs.

During the election campaign, Ford said he would find $6 billion in “efficiencies,” and made a number of spending promises, as well as pledging tax cuts — which eat into government revenues — without saying how they would be paid for.

“The majority of Ontarians did not vote for cuts to health care or layoffs to more nurses and more teachers or the privatization of the things that matter most to all of us,” she said. “New Democrats — we will be the voice for all those Ontarians. We will hold Doug Ford accountable for each and every decision that he makes.”