Fresh off a strong performance in the PC debate, Caroline Mulroney said she hopes to bring a fresh perspective to Queens Park, during a leadership campaign stop in Sudbury this morning.
The Nickel City was the first stop on her five-city Northern Ontario tour. Among the planks her platform, Mulroney promised a new direction for the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund (NOHF), should she be elected to the office.
“No more clawing back the funding. In fact, we are going to grow it,” Mulroney said. "We are going to allocate $200 million annually to the NOHF.”
With the party still reeling from the sexual misconduct scandal involving ousted leader -- and now leadership candidate -- Patrick Brown, Mulroney committed to a traditional Conservative message: job growth. She says the Tories have the prescription for Northern Ontario.
“The NOHF is a symbol of what we need to get the North back on track," she says. "In the People's Guarantee, we committed to $100 million -- I think we need to double it and revisit the eligibility criteria so that we can encourage job growth and innovation in Northern Ontario."
Continuing her pro-business message, Mulroney slammed Liberal climate change initiatives as examples of legislation that have harmed economic growth in places like the North.
“I am not in favour of carbon tax, and I would scrap cap and trade," Mulroney said. "We need to make sure the businesses in the North can thrive, instead of seeking other jurisdictions and bringing jobs with them elsewhere."
Mulroney, is the daughter of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, the subtext of the campaign stop seemed to suggest, has the pedigree for change, and the North had a role to play in her strategy, she said.*
“I am building on the existing platform, and I think the development of the North is critical to the future success and prosperity of the Province,” Mulroney said.
Next up in Mulroney's five northern city tour are Sault Ste. Marie, Kapuskasing, Timmins and Thunder Bay.
In Sudbury, PC candidate Troy Crowder is gearing up to go head to head against NDP's Jamie West and Liberal's Glenn Thibeault in the upcoming elections.
