Despite not having opposition support, the city’s two MPPs say they’re happy their government was able to pass its provincial budget.
MPP Bill Mauro (Lib. Thunder Bay – Atikokan) said both he and his party were pleased to have passed the budget and stave off what he described an unnecessary election that would have taken place in the summertime.
But the passing of that budget did not come with the NDP support Liberal members thought they might have. NDP members abstained from the vote, which allowed the minority, Liberal-led provincial government to pass its budget by a 52-35 vote in Queen’s Park Tuesday.
“We had not one but two agreements with them and they reneged on their commitment to pass the budget twice,” Mauro said in response to the opposition party’s choice to abstain during a telephone interview with tbnewswatch.com.
“We accepted their amendments and then some further amendments once they had walked away from their first two deals. We worked very hard to accommodate their requests and they didn’t even vote in favour of a budget that’s been amended according to their wishes.”
Despite this, Mauro said his party would continue to work with the NDP as well as the Progressive Conservative party.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty had battled with NDP leader Andrea Horwath on an agreement in order for her party to support the budget and even threatened a possible summer election.
The Liberals agreed to her demand for a tax on incomes over $500,000 but then turned around and accused her of breaking the agreement.
Horwath also wanted the minority Liberals to implement a two per cent surtax on the rich, and cut the HST from home heating bills and more money for people on welfare and social disability.
The Conservatives vowed to vote against the budget since it was introduced, and say it still does nothing to rein in government spending or help create jobs.
MPP Michael Gravelle (Lib. Thunder Bay – Superior North) shared some of Mauro’s opinions and questioned the move the NDP made to not vote.
“I think they are elected to represent their constituents and I personally question the approach they took,” Gravelle said.
“They made the choice to abstain. I do believe that when you are elected you should be voting when you have the opportunity to vote but that’s their judgment. I am more than anything else just pleased to bring forward a budget document that will continue to protect the advances we have made.”
Gravelle described the negotiations with the NDP as having some “rough patches” including the possibility of a summer election but the two parties were able to come to an agreement.
He said it was exceptionally difficult to work with the PC’s since they refused to negotiate at all but in the end, he and the premier will continue to work with all parties.
He added that the budget will allow the government to meet its targets to eliminate the $15-billion deficit by the 2017/2018 fiscal year.
-- With files from the Canadian Press
