With an election a little more than a year away, the provincial Liberal government released its budget Thursday, boasting a balanced budget and some new spending programs.
Most notably is a plan to provide free prescription drugs for everyone in Ontario under age 25. But Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas said it sounds like a watered-down version of the NDP's plan, which offers coverage to all Ontarians.
“It looks like something that was a little bit rushed," Gélinas said Thursday afternoon. "The budget has over 294 pages of data and numbers and everything, and not one penny is going to their new pharmacare ... It is in their press release, it is in their announcement, but it is not costed out.”
And the plan does nothing for the one in three workers in Ontario who don't have a drug plan, she added. But the NDP plan allows anyone with a health care to benefit.
"In the grand scheme of things, most families get their children the drugs they need. It's the grownups, the parents who do without. Not of that changes, because their pharmacare is solely for children."
Beyond that, Gélinas said Northern Ontario is largely left out of the budget, or ministries that affect us most are getting hit.
"The Ministry of Natural Resources -- budget cuts; the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines -- budget cuts. Not one word in 294 pages about the Ring of Fire. ONTC is not mentioned in there and the North is barely mentioned," she said. "We are the big losers."
And with a balanced budget, the Liberals had a major opportunity to ensure hospitals had enough to provide proper care, she said. But the budget failed to deliver.
"Hospitals are always very timid of asking for anything publicly of the government, because that's who they get their funding from,” Gélinas said. “But this year they have been as loud and clear as they have ever been to say they can't take it anymore and they have put on the record they need five per cent. The budget provides two per cent. So I'm extremely worried. They asked for five per cent just to maintain what they have."
"People want our broken health-care system to be fixed and they're not fixing it. A huge opportunity missed."
When asked if she saw anything positive, Gélinas pointed to an increase for seniors and others in LTC homes.
"They are increasing the food allowance for people in long-term care, so rather than getting $6 for food for the day, you'll get $6.36 for food for the day,” she said. “That's something. Otherwise, if you see something good, let me know."
Read the full budget here.
POLITICAL CONTEXT: The $141-billion budget — which includes measures aimed at youth, seniors, parents, homeowners and anyone who uses the health-care system — comes as the provincial Liberals prepare for next year's election campaign. The party, which has been at the helm for 14 years, has seen its popularity falter in recent polls.
PHARMACARE FOR YOUTH: A new program will offer free prescription drug coverage to anyone under 25, regardless of family income. The OHIP+ program, which is a key plank of the province's fiscal plan, will include the more than 4,400 prescription medications currently covered by the Ontario Drug Benefit program and requires no co-payment or deductible. It takes effect in January of next year and is expected to cost $465 million per fiscal year.
SENIORS: A new tax credit will make getting around on public transit a little more affordable for those 65 and over. It will allow seniors to claim 15 per cent of eligible transit expenses, up to $130 a year, which is expected to cost the province $10 million annually. Money is also earmarked to build 40 new so-called elderly persons centres, which run programs such as meals on wheels.
TOBACCO AND HOTEL TAXES: The Liberal government is increasing tobacco taxes and giving municipalities the authority to introduce a hotel tax. The tax on a carton of cigarettes will go up $10 over the next three years, with the first $2 increase to kick in Friday. The hotel tax will be designed by the municipalities after amendments are made to the Municipal Act and the City of Toronto Act.
NET DEBT: The province may have eliminated the deficit in the 2017-18 budget, but net debt continues to grow. It's projected to reach $312 this fiscal year and rise by $24 billion by 2019-20, even though the Liberals expect to balance the next two budgets as well.
-- The Canadian Press
