Role & Purpose of Government

The party has published no direct statement regarding its understanding of the role and purpose of democratic provincial government.

Stewardship & Reform

The party states that:
– just over half of eligible voters in Ontario actually turn out to the polls– a sign of the deep cynicism that people have about politics. Governments have given them so many reasons to be distrustful, from gas plant scandals to the influence of big donors.
– many Ontarians have lost faith in the political system and simply given up on going to the polls on election day. Many believe that under the present system, their vote doesn’t even count.
– this is why it prefers proportional representation voting systems that are truly representative of the electorate.
– even under a first past the post system, however, it does politics differently, with a willingness to work across the aisle to get things done and a focus on people over party.
– a democracy is only as strong as the people that lead it. Encouraging participation in running, voting and all areas of the political system are important pieces of the democratic system.

The party advocates:

– reform of the democratic process, including cration of a diverse, randomly selected Citizens Assembly on electoral reform with a mandate to provide binding recommendations on modernising Ontario’s electoral system to ensure that every vote counts and the legislature reflects the democratic will of the people; allowing municipalities the option to use a ranked ballot voting system for elections; creating limits for municipal elections whereby no person may contribute more than $1000 to all candidates, combined; reducing donation limits for provincial political parties, candidates, and constituency associations to $1000 per year; restoring Auditor General oversight of government advertising; and requiring a five year cooling off period before MPPs and government advisors can register as lobbyists.

– making politics more inclusive and collaborative, including making funding available for non-profit organisations that provide additional training and mentorship opportunities for women, Black, Indigenous, racialised, and 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals who are considering running for political office; reducing the voting age to 16 years old; increasing the quality and quantity of local public input in provincial decision-making by creating new channels to give citizens a voice, both through MPPs and ministries; and allowing the introduction of electronic petitions to the Ontario Legislature.

– protecting voter rights and empowering citizens by making the day of a general election an official paid holiday; enforcing strict accessibility standards at voting stations; and increasing the number of mobile polls at hospitals, seniors’ residences, and for people with accessibility issues which prohibit them from easily leaving their homes.

Provinces, Territories, & Municipalities

The party states that:
– municipalities have been under immense pressure these past few years, as previous governments have downloaded many social costs onto municipalities.
– with municipalities covering these costs, there is less money for other vital services such as transit, libraries, community centres, parks and municipal building retrofits  The provincial government should be a partner in helping fund such  important services.

To support and strengthen municipal governments the party advocates:

– granting municipalities autonomy to implement revenue tools to fund critical infrastructure needs and services.
– providing financial support for municipalities to bolster local infrastructure, including provincially funding 50% of shelter and community housing costs while allowing municipalities to maintain management control; restoring the 50% provincial cost-share for transit operations and supporting electrification plans for all municipal transit systems; and creating a dedicated $2B per year Climate Adaptation Fund for municipalities.
– increasing collaboration and consultation between municipalities and the province.
– assessing the use of City Charters as a mechanism to empower major Ontario cities, such as Toronto, and preventing inappropriate interference in local democracy by the provincial government.

Public Safety

The party advocates:

– as a step toward treatment of mental health and addiction as a public health issue, working with the federal government to fast-track the decriminalisation of drugs and reallocate funding from the justice system to mental health care services.

– to address discrimination within the justice system, banning the practice of carding and deleting existing data that has been collected from carding in the past; reforming the Special Investigation Unit to ensure transparency and justice for racialised individuals who are victims of violence and discrimination at the hands of law enforcement; acknowledging and commitment to addressing the disproportionately violent and discriminatory law enforcement experienced by Indigenous, Black and racialised people; decriminalizing drug use, expand safe consumption sites, and shifting funding from the justice system to healthcare; developing a 3 digit dedicated crisis response line and health-focused crisis response teams to respond to mental health and substance related calls; ensuring that court mental health workers are available in all regions of Ontario to divert more individuals living with a mental health issue and/or substance use concern out of the justice system and into mental health and addictions services and supports; restoring adequate funding to Legal Aid by boosting their base budget and developing a long-term, structurally stable funding plan; and immediately appointing more full-time, qualified, and competent adjudicators to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario to ensure timely and effective case hearings.

– improving provincial climate safety and resilience by planning how to manage the health risks to people, including heat, wildfire smoke, flooding, drought, and insect-borne diseases; creating a Climate Adaptation Fund funded by a dedicated adaptation levy to help get the overdue work underway to prepare municipalities, infrastructure, buildings, agriculture and forestry to withstand the increased effects of climate change; requiring all large public and private organizations to evaluate their vulnerability to climate shocks and stresses, and to plan how to manage them; integrating climate resilience into land use planning and when designing, sizing and siting infrastructure; and expanding natural infrastructure on private and public lands to increase resilience to climate risks.

Government and Community

The preface of the party’s 2025 platform states that:
– growing the provincial economy starts with investing in workers, communities and healthcare, not just the rich.
– it proposes investment in needed roads, hospitals and schools, reducing gridlock, and supporting economic growth and diversification.

Specifically, the party advocates:
– guaranteeing everyone a family doctor in four years, ensuring that mental healthcare is covered under OHIP, and supporting seniors to age with dignity.
– slashing taxes, saving taxpayers thousands annually by permanently cutting income tax for workers and eliminating sales tax (HST) on home heating and hydro bills.
– building more affordable homes by eliminating development charges, restoring the dream of homeownership, and bringing fairness back to the rental market.
– permanently doubling ODSP so Ontario’s most vulnerable are not left behind.
– clearing the school repair backlog, improving safety at school, and providing education that prepares Ontario for the future.

The party further states that:
– violent crime is at a two-decade high, provincial transit systems aren’t working as they should, and Ontario’s neighbourhood parks have been taken over by encampments.
– Ontario is a province of natural beauty and bountiful farmland, but those shared resources are under threat from rich influencers and insiders.
– it’s time to build needed roads, bridges and transit, protect the environment and clean up the streets and parks.

The Role & Purpose of Government

The party’s constitution states that the party’s objects include:
– advocating and supporting liberal political principles;
– developing and determining provincial policy;
– organizing itself;
– promoting the election of Liberal candidates to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario;
– promoting the election of Liberals to municipal and local elected offices; and
– encouraging and facilitating participation in the Ontario Liberal Party by individuals from all demographic groups in Ontario.

Taxes, Services, Stewardship and Reform

The party states that:
– the current government’s self-serving early election call means there has been no update to Ontario’s economic and fiscal outlook as Ontario and all Canada go into a possible trade war with the current US administration.  No one knows what the public finances look like because the current government won’t tell anyone before the vote.
– in the final hours before calling the election, the current government announced more than $8.8billion in new spending, on top of its proposed $150 billion tunnel, which it has committed to pursuing on multiple occasions.
– Ontario is now taking in the highest per-capita provincial revenues in its history, even after adjusting for inflation.
– its plan will promote stronger economic growth, meaning more sustainable government finances.

The party advocates reducing the provincial tax burden and investing in the basic public services that will help families get ahead. Its proposed plan is costed, prioritizes tax reduction and getting the basics right.  Its proposed plan includes no tax increases and no new taxes, and it costs far less than the government’s proposed tunnel.

To support its proposed investments, the party undertakes to:
– implement an ambitious Saving Annually through Value and Efficiency (SAVE) process that will aim to achieve 2.5% of annual savings and value enhancement for Ontario taxpayers.
– create an Office of Cost Control responsible for oversight on all major public sector procurement projects and spending at both the municipal and provincial levels, including reviewing the significant overspending on recent transportation projects and leveraging the best available Canadian innovation, technology and artificial intelligence (AI), cutting down on outsourcing, improving efficiency and project delivery, and better focusing the province on what it can do best.
– ensure accountability for the promises being made by providing regular updates to the public on progress.
– amend the Taxpayer Protection Act to require political parties to disclose to the Chief Electoral Officer all plans they have for tax reduction before an election and impose consequences on governments who do not keep these commitments when in office.

Public Safety

To clean up crime and make transit safer, the party advocates:
– training more officers to get crime and drugs off our streets and launching special Bail Courts for high-risk and repeat offenders involved with illegal drug and fentanyl trafficking, firearm offences, robberies, home invasion, carjacking and auto-theft.
– hiring an additional 300 special constables for TTC, OC Transpo, Metrolinx and other major transit service providers across the province.
– connecting people to mental health resources and community support by establishing the CARE Fund (Crisis Assistance and Response Enhancement Fund) to double investment in Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams.
– providing transit services with operational funding for safety equipment like cameras.
– installing platform doors in all TTC subway stations.
– safeguarding communities and assisting police to monitor and catch criminals by introducing the SAFE Rebate (Supporting Access to Funding for Equipment) that offers up to $500 rebate for homes, $5,000 rebate for small businesses and $10,000 rebate for religious/cultural institutions to purchase safety equipment that deters auto-theft, robberies and other criminal activities.
– banning organizing or participating in hate-motivated activities or protests that incite violence or intimidation within 100 metres of the property line of any vulnerable social infrastructure (ex. place of worship, school, childcare centre, or hospital) anywhere in the province, and imposing a maximum fine of $100,000 for each violation.

The party has provided no current statement of its policies relating to:
– stewardship & reform
– intergovernmental relations

The Role and Purpose of Government

The party’s constitution states that:
– the provincial Party will unite progressive people and organizations into a party democratically controlled and openly financed by its membership.
– it will, with all the resources at its command, extend the policies and program on a provincial level of the New Democratic Party (of Canada). It will endeavour to establish in this province a government whose object shall be to substitute economic planning for irresponsible control with all its unjust consequences and thereby to give maximum opportunity for public, co-operative, and private enterprise to contribute to the development of our province.
– to that end it will invite the cooperation of all persons who are dedicated to the extension of freedom, the abolition of poverty and the elimination of exploitation.

The party’s 2025 platform states that its immediate priorities include:
– fighting rising costs, including providing a monthly grocery rebate to put more money in your pocket, and cracking down on big grocery store price fixing with a new consumer watchdog.
– hiring more doctors, including connecting everyone to a family doctor by fast-tracking approval of more family health teams and community health centres, and clearing the paperwork for doctors so they can see more patients, faster.
– fast-track building of affordable homes, including launching the largest homebuilding program in generations and implementing real rent control to protect tenants.
– defending Ontario jobs, by taking a leading role on Team Canada to protect the jobs and pensions of Ontario workers in auto, steel and agriculture – and directing government agencies to Buy Ontario.
– cleaning up corruption at Queen’s Park, including bringing integrity back to government and putting an end to the wasteful schemes and bad deals that have cost taxpayers.

Stewardship of Office; Reform
The party states that:
– it will restore transparency, accountability, and integrity in government after decades of self-serving governments that put private interests ahead of the public good. The Liberals sold off Hydro One, leaving Ontarians with skyrocketing energy costs. From the Progressive Conservatives’ land grab to their to the Ontario Place giveaway, its government has repeatedly put well-connected insiders ahead of everyday people.
– it will strengthen lobbying rules and the Members Integrity Act, ensuring decisions are made in the public’s best interest—not for profit-driven political friends.

Electoral Reform
To make the provincial voting system fair and more inclusive, the party advocates replacing the first-past-the-post system with a mixed-member proportional voting system where every vote counts, including consultation with the public, civil society and other political parties to design a made-in-Ontario voting system that reflects the needs of Ontario’s communities.

Revenue & Budgets
The party states that:
– public funds should be put to use for the public good, and government spending should reflect the real priorities of Ontarians. Wasteful projects like fantasy tunnels and luxury mega-spas should be ended, along with sweetheart deals for corporate insiders and wealthy donors.
– instead, it proposes to invest that money in health care, schools, better roads and more homes.
– budgeting is about priorities. Investing in strong public services is not just the best thing to do—it’s also the fiscally responsible choice.

The party advocates building a tariff-proof economy that works for everyone, by:
– prioritize domestic procurement, strengthening provincial supply chains, and protect good-paying jobs in key industries.
– supporting Ontario businesses and workers to ensure long-term stability and growth.
– conducting a tax fairness review to assess whether the current tax structure is equitable and meets the needs of our growing province.
– to help pay for services all Ontarians all rely on, implementing a provincial Luxury Residences Tax on purchasing homes over $3 million, bringing in an expected 33 million dollars a year in new revenue.
– freezing income taxes for the 98.2% of Ontarians making under $220,000 a year.

Intergovernmental and Public Relationships

Municipalities
As a part of its program to make more new affordable homes available, the party advocates:
– updating zoning and planning rules to make it easier and cheaper to build all types of new homes, including legalizing more affordable options like semis, townhomes and fourplex apartments in all neighbourhoods, and midrises near transit as-of-right.
– helping municipalities address their housing needs by uploading the cost of housing, emergency shelters, and homelessness prevention programs back to the province, while maintaining locally focused delivery through municipal service managers; and working with municipalities to create incentives for affordable housing in the marketplace, including development charge easements.
– uploading back costs that were unfairly downloaded onto municipal taxpayers, including the costs of maintaining provincially owned “connecting link” highways, including providing adequate, predictable and consistent formula-based provincial funding to ensure that municipalities are able to maintain, snow-clear and repair their roads, bridges and other infrastructure, with additional support for small and Northern municipalities that must look after large areas with small tax bases.
– protecting Greenbelt, and Ontario’s prime farmland, by focusing growth sustainably and cost-effectively within the pre-2022 urban boundaries, keeping infrastructure costs down in the process.

Federal Government
To make life better for Ontarians the party advocates:
– ensuring that the province is a strong partner and a leading voice in discussions with the federal government, pushing to improve health care, education, jobs, and a clean, sustainable future for all Ontarians.

Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Courts & justice
To end delays in court and keep communities safe, the party advocates:
– hiring and increasing pay to court staff to maximize the number of hours courtrooms are open.
– completing courtroom repairs, considering reopening shuttered courthouses, and building new courthouses in regions where there is not enough existing infrastructure.
– funding Legal Aid Ontario so more Ontarians can access procedural assistance, legal information and legal advice.
– recognizing Intimate Partner Violence as an epidemic, and directing Ministries to coordinate improved access to services for survivors, and restoring the full Victims Compensation Fund.

As of 23 February 2025, four days prior to the election it called,  the party has published no update or comprehensive statement of its proposed policies. 

Role and Purpose of Government

The party’s constitution states that as matters of principle it believes:
– in freedom of speech, worship and assembly, in loyalty to Canada and to the Monarch of Canada and in the rule of law.
– that that government should serve the people and that progress requires a competitive economy, which, accepting its social responsibilities, allows every individual freedom of opportunity and initiative and the peaceful enjoyment of the fruits of his or her own labour.
– in the ethical and accountable execution of the business of government.
– that the interests of Ontario are best served by a strong, united and democratic Canada.
– that economic freedom, entrepreneurial spirit and the right to private property are essential to economic prosperity and political freedom.
– in the values of the family which encourage tolerance and mutual support.
– that social justice entails equality of opportunity, including fair and equal treatment for all Ontarians and the provision of support to those in need.
– in and accepts its responsibilities for the preservation of Ontario’s heritage and cultural diversity and the conservation and renewal of the environment for present and future generations.

Stewardship of Office

Taxes & Accountability
Prior to its current term in office the party stated that the province has a spending problem, rather than a revenue problem, due to government-wide inefficiencies.

At that time the party advocated
– in order to control waste and mismanagement in government, an open, line-by-line audit of government spending.
– an independent commission of inquiry to investigate the provincial deficit scandal and propose solutions.
– returning to a balanced budget on a responsible timeframe.
– centralization of government purchasing.
– to make the financing of projects more transparent, separating funding for energy projects from electricity bills.
– cancelling and renegotiating energy contracts in the pre-construction and phase.
– declaring a moratorium on new energy contracts.
– creating a 75% refundable tax credit for child care costs for children aged 0-15.

In its 2024 budget, the party states that:
– over the period 2022-2024 revenue grew 6% from $192.9 billion to $204.3 billion, funded by a 15% rise in personal income tax, 10% rise in sales tax, and 11% rise in Ontario health premium, while corporate tax collections dropped 9% and property taxes 3% (see for example Table 3.5 below, taken from the party’s 2024 budget).
– during the period 2021-2024 spending increased 13%, from $183.1 billion to $207.3 billion.
– during the period 2021-2024 provincial debt increased 4%, from $399.6 billion to $403.4 billion.

Democratic Reform

Prior to its current term in office, the party stated that:
– to improve public trust, it advocated prohibiting government agencies, boards, and commissions from purchasing attendance at political events.

Regulatory Reform
In its 2024 Budget, the party states that:
– since 2018, it has taken over 500 actions to reduce regulatory burdens — all without compromising health and safety in the population, or the environment – in order to open doors to new economic opportunities and reduce unnecessary burdens for individuals and businesses, saving $939 million in gross annual compliance costs that would have otherwise been incurred by businesses, not‐for‐profit organizations and the broader public sector.
– it continues to reports on the progress of regulatory reform in its annual Burden Reduction Report.  It most recent report highlights: (i) creating new ways for individuals to receive medical care in their community; (ii) making the online process easier for the application, replacement and renewal of accessible parking permits; (iii) upgrading the ServiceOntario appointment booking system to book multiple services in a single appointment or a single appointment for the whole family; (iv) streamlining housing development approvals; and (v) helping municipalities better manage restrictions on roads (load periods), including shortening their duration when conditions permit, to support lower costs and better delivery times for the trucking and agri‐businesses industry.

Agency Oversight
In its 2024 Budget, the party states that it is strengthening oversight of provincial agencies to ensure that public services are modernized and accountable, including introduction of new measures and reporting requirements to ensure that the agencies are efficient, sustainable and accountable while also being nimble to meet the demands of the public they serve.

Intergovernmental Relationships

On February 20, 2025, the party published an online statement stating that in order to build the True North, Strong and Free, it proposed:

• Strongly advocating that the federal government immediately increase defence spending to meet and exceed Canada’s minimum two per cent NATO commitment and link procurement to domestic economic development opportunities.

• Investing $200 million for the Shipbuilding Grant Program under Ontario’s Marine Transportation Strategy to help make Ontario’s shipbuilding industry a full regional partner under the federal government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy and secure Canadian contracts to build, retrofit, and repair Canadian Navy ships in Ontario.

• Creating a new Defence Security Investment Tax Credit to attract greater investment and job creation in the province and help meet our two per cent of GDP NATO commitment, including by supporting investments in innovative critical technologies such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to support the future of defence technologies.

• Providing $50 million more to Venture Ontario, the province’s venture capital agency, to make dedicated capital fund investments to support domestic start-ups in strategic technology areas that support our national defence.

Public Safety

Prior to its current term in office, the party stated that:
– every Ontario family deserves to live in safety, with peace of mind that they will be protected from gun and gang violence.
– to assist survivors of domestic violence, which has increased during COVID‐19, and other crimes like human trafficking, it was investing an additional $2.1 million over three years to support victims of crime. This support was in addition to funding provided through various existing programs to help victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes.

At that time the party advocated:
– ensuring that provincial laws are up to the task of fighting 21^st century issues, while respecting victims and law-abiding families.
– ensuring that the brave women and men in law enforcement have the resources they need to keep us safe.
– restoring funding to the anti-guns-and-gangs units in Ottawa and Toronto.
– dedicating resources to fight organized crime, including the production and smuggling of contraband and illicit drugs, as well as child exploitation and human trafficking.
– respecting the vulnerable, by committing resources to combat domestic abuse, including elder abuse.
– investing $30 million per year to hire more corrections, probation and parole officers to hold criminals accountable and protect victims.

In its 2024 Budget, the party states that:
– violent crime within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has been increasing in volume, scope and complexity in recent years. To address this challenge, it is allocating $46 million over three years to support patrol and improve response times to major incidents and serious crimes, including the purchase of four helicopters.  These additional resources will help protect communities by: keeping highways and roadways safe from street racing, impaired driving, violent carjacking and automobile theft; locating missing persons, including children, the elderly and vulnerable people; apprehending high‐risk suspects, including perpetrators of violent crime; and supporting marine units and enhancing search and rescue capacity.
– to fight auto theft, it is collaborating with municipalities and the federal government, providing funding to police services and raising public awareness of auto theft  prevention measures.  It proposes allocation of $49 million over three years to help police put those responsible for auto thefts behind bars. These investments support the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Organized Crime Towing and Auto Theft Team, which is working with municipal police services to identify, disrupt and dismantle organized crime networks participating in vehicle theft. In addition, Ontario’s Major Auto Theft Prosecution Response Team provides dedicated support to the OPP to prepare and prosecute complex cases, ensuring that offenders are held accountable.  This funding also continues support for the Greater Toronto Area‐Greater Golden Horseshoe Investigative Fund, which was created to help stop the illegal export of stolen vehicles and target violent crime linked to criminal organizations.- it continues to advocate for the federal government to amend the Criminal Code and implement tougher penalties for individuals who commit violent crime and car thefts. The federal government has signaled its willingness to work with all provinces and territories to identify and implement concrete, collaborative and innovative solutions.
– to keep communities safe and support the province’s firefighters, who are more likely to experience health problems because of exposure to hazardous chemicals, it proposes allocation of $30 million over the next three years to provide municipal fire departments, including those in small and rural communities, with funding for personal protective equipment and specialized decontamination tools to clean and sanitize firefighter gear and mitigate the long‐term effects of exposure to chemicals and other fire‐related contaminants.
– to improve response times for first responders, the party advocates continued work to enable seamless communication between fire and paramedic dispatch systems across the province. This technology will enable municipalities with tiered response agreements to implement simultaneous notification between their fire and paramedic services and facilitate faster response times.
– it has invested $5 million to ensure communities across the province have the resources and equipment needed to prepare for natural disasters and emergencies, including training.
– to prevent gender-based violence, it is proposes to build on prior allocations of $1.4 billion over four years by providing an additional $13.5 million over three years to enhance initiatives that support women, children, youth and others who are at increased risk of violence or exploitation, including Indigenous and racialized communities, and children and youth in the child welfare system. These initiatives include: (i) $6 million over three years to support the Children at Risk of Exploitation (CARE) Unit in Kenora District with increased access to trauma‐informed specialized supports for children and youth who have been sex trafficked; (ii) $4.5 million over three years in additional funding for the Victim Quick Response Program+ to increase access to basic necessities for victims of human trafficking and gender‐based violence and their families, especially those in Northern, rural and remote communities; (iii) $2.5 million over three years in additional funding to increase outreach to children and youth with involvement in the child welfare system and link them with resource and educational supports; and (iv) $0.5 million in 2024–25 to increase training for workers in the child welfare sector to help them respond to human trafficking and identify at‐risk children and youth.
– it proposes to allocated $27 million over three years to enhance sexual assault and domestic violence services across the province to help victims and survivors receive compassionate and professional support directly within hospital settings by provide the provinces 37 treatment centres with additional clinical resources and extend the reach of sexual and domestic violence services to hospitals currently not in the network. It will also support the expansion of the Provincial Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Navigation Line to provide 24/7 care for victims and survivors.
– in addition, it proposes allocation of $6.4 million over three years to support the Independent Legal Advice for Survivors of Sexual Assault program, and sustain and expand the Child Victim Witness Support Program.  Participation in these programs allows recipients to better understand the criminal court process and make informed decisions about their legal options, including reporting the incident and holding the offenders to account after experiencing sexual assault.
– since the legalization of cannabis in 2018, Ontario has moved forward with rules to keep cannabis out of the hands of children and youth and keep roads safe. The government is committed to combatting the illegal cannabis market to ensure the integrity of the regulated private retail model and address the significant health risks associated with illegal cannabis products that do not meet government safety standards.  To that end it proposes allocation of $31 million over the next three years to support the Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Teams (PJFCET), an OPP‐led centralized enforcement unit that has a proven track record in enforcement operations against illegal cannabis storefronts. This investment would enable the PJFCET to respond to the challenge of illegal online operators and crack down further on the production, sale and distribution of illegal cannabis in the online and offline space.
– it proposes changes in the Tobacco Tax Act pursuant to its review, to strengthen oversight and reduce burden on registrants, while continuing to address contraband tobacco, which is a persistent challenge in Ontario, through stronger fines, including cross-designation of inspectors to seize certain tobacco products in contravention of both the Tobacco Tax Act and the Smoke‐Free Ontario Act, 2017.