In June, the Ontario Conservatives released their 2007 election platform. For anyone with Harris-Eves nostalgia, the document is a case of "deja-vu."

The Conservatives pledge to divert public money to private schools. In addition, they want to cut $2.5 billion from health care without saying where they will take it from. They failed to cost a single item in their platform. Instead they talk of vague "efficiencies".

We've heard all this before, under Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. And we remember what it all led to: closed hospitals, nurses fired, chaos in our schools. Same story, different Tory. The 2007 Conservatives would take us backwards -- backwards to cuts to health care, backwards to cuts to education and backwards to annual multi-billion-dollar budget deficits.

When you promise a massive tax cut and more spending on health care at the same time, and claim you will make up the difference by finding "efficiencies" -- that really means cuts to health care. Say goodbye to capital projects like Credit Valley's Phase II, and to the UTM project to establish a medical school to teach and train the doctors we need right here in Mississauga. In Tory-speak, that's called "inefficiency."

When John and the Tories say they're going to put millions into private schools, that really means the PC Party plans to take millions out of public schools.

We know these things because we've seen all this before, during the last time the Conservatives were in power. Mississauga is a better city because of what the Ontario Liberals have accomplished, and the progress we have made together.

• Not only has the Liberal government erased the $5.5 billion deficit left to Ontarians by the Conservatives, we have balanced the budget – twice;
• Today, our children are getting a good education. There have been no full-time teacher strikes since the Ontario Liberals have been in office. On the PC watch, Ontario lost 26 million learning days due to strikes. Instead of being derided and demeaned, our teachers are appreciated and respected;
• Ontario's class sizes are smaller, even in fast-growing Peel Region. Test scores are higher. And more students are graduating. In addition, we have repaired our older Mississauga schools, and built two new secondary schools and several new elementary schools in western Mississauga since 2003;
• Health care in western Mississauga is better in 2007. While the previous Tory government closed hospitals, fired nurses and took money out of our health system, we have increased funding, reduced wait times and hired nurses. In western Mississauga, we have seen the start of Phase II of the Credit Valley Hospital; got a new linear accelerator for cancer treatment a year ahead of schedule; obtained more annual operating funding for Credit Valley Hospital; hired some 50 full-time nurses; and set up a Family Medicine Teaching Unit that will be affiliated with the new medical school being organized at the University of Toronto at Mississauga;

The Ontario Liberals are moving Ontario forward by investing in health, education, a cleaner environment and prosperity of our people. And there is still more work to be done. Ontarians don’t want to return to the days of declining health care, chaos in our schools and economic uncertainty under the Conservatives.

We need to continue to build on the progress of the McGuinty Liberals and go forward into the 21st Century instead of turning back the clock and heading toward the 19th Century with the Conservative Party and its outdated ideas.

Date posted: Thursday, June 14, 2007