Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says “wait times have ballooned and hospitals are packed beyond capacity” in the province, and that her party will put money into the health-care system if elected.
Horwath promises 4,500 more nurses in NDP’s first year of government
The New Democrat leader discussed the party’s plans to fix a “breaking” health-care system with hiring, new hospital beds and a moratorium on layoffs for front-line workers.
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says “wait times have ballooned and hospitals are packed beyond capacity” in the province, and that her party will put money into the health-care system if elected.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is looking ahead to the June 7 election, promising to hire 4,500 nurses — and thinking about who will chair her transition team should she win the premier’s job.
Enjoying momentum in the polls against embattled Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford and well ahead of the Liberals, Horwath acknowledged Thursday that her campaign is quietly preparing for a victory that appears within reach.
“I’m not far along at all because you never really count your chickens before they hatch,” she told reporters in Regent Park, unveiling the nurse pledge that was not detailed in the party’s platform book.
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“But we’re two weeks before the election. It’s very clear people that people have said that they’re not interested in having Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals in office anymore.”
Horwath first hinted late Wednesday that a transition head to map out a transfer of power to the second NDP government in Ontario history was on her mind.
“I’m talking to someone about doing that position,” she confirmed.
“I’ve been contemplating these things.”
Ontario’s only NDP premier was Bob Rae, who led during a recession from 1990 to 1995 and later became a Liberal, seeking the federal party’s leadership and serving as an adviser on domestic and international issues like the Rohingya refugee crisis.
Asked if she would seek his advice, Horwath replied, “Not likely.”
The nursing announcement came after a roundtable discussion with health-care workers, including an emergency room doctor who talked of problems like overcrowding and treating patients in hallways.
An extra 4,500 nurses in hospitals in the first year of an NDP government, along with opening 2,000 beds for a total cost of $1.2 billion, would improve patient care, Horwath said.
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“The system is breaking,” she added, calling the added nurses “a big piece of the puzzle.”
NDP officials said the cost is included in the party’s platform, even though the nursing jobs were not specifically mentioned.
Horwath maintained the New Democrats, who would increase taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations, can afford the promise despite making a $1.4-billion error in their platform that would balloon the province’s annual deficit to $4.8 billion in her first year.
Horwath also said she would put a moratorium on layoffs of front-line health care workers and pledged 15,000 more long-term care beds over the next five years to shorten waiting lists and get chronic patients out of hospitals.
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At an afternoon stop across the street from Fairview Lodge nursing home in Whitby, she said 1,500 of those beds will be in the Whitby-Oshawa area.
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Although Ford has said he will not cut Ontario’s health budget, Horwath said she doesn’t believe that, given he is promising $6 billion in cuts to overall government spending.
About 1,600 nurses have been laid off from hospitals under the Liberal government since 2015, Horwath said.
As premier, Wynne announced an $800-million infusion for hospitals shortly before the election campaign began, and has promised to hire 3,500 nurses if re-elected.
