From Queen’s Park by Sylvia Jones MPP — Jones appointed Deputy Leader of the PC Caucus

September 21, 2015 · 0 Comments

Earlier this month, I was pleased to accept the position of Deputy Leader of the Progressive Conservative Caucus at Queen’s Park, along with Leeds-Grenville MPP Steve Clark, by PC Leader Patrick Brown, MPP for Simcoe-North.
In addition to being named Deputy Leader, I was also appointed Critic for Children and Youth Services and will continue serving as a member of the Select Committee on Sexual Violence and Harassment.
Since being elected in 2007, I have had the opportunity to serve as Deputy House Leader of the Official Opposition, and Chair of the PC Caucus. In addition, I have held the roles of Critic for the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Ministry of Community and Social Services, Ministry of Government Services, and the Attorney General. I also had the pleasure to serve as a member of the Select Committee on Developmental Services and the Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions.
I am looking forward to this exciting opportunity as Deputy Leader of the PC Caucus, and advocating on behalf of the PC Caucus on issues Ontarians and businesses are facing today.
Among the priorities of the PC Caucus is concern over the Hydro One fire sale. Ontario’s hydro rates are already unaffordable for many Ontarians and leaving them in a state of energy poverty. This will only get worse if the government goes forward with the Hydro One sell-off. The PC Caucus and I will continue to remind the Wynne Liberal government that the majority of Ontarians strongly oppose the sale of Hydro One.
Another important priority that my PC colleagues and I will raise is the need for the government to stop the job killing Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP). The ORPP is nothing more than a payroll tax and will result in a further erosion of our manufacturing sector that has already lost 300,000 jobs under this government’s watch. Many organizations have warned about the negative implications of the proposed ORPP, including the Chambers of Commerce, who have highlighted that it will result in job losses. We should be leaving it up to Ontarians to decide on how they would like to save for their retirement, instead of forcing them to pay into this scheme.
In addition to calling for an end to the Hydro One fire sale and the ORPP, we will continue to raise awareness about the fragile state of our province’s economy as a result of years of economic mismanagement by this government. The proof is in the five credit downgrades from major credit rating agencies, including Standard and Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch. In addition to the credit downgrades, organizations such as Bloomberg have noted Ontario is the most indebted sub-national government in the world. The government needs to listen to these warning signs and immediately change the direction they are taking our province in, so it can return to what is was once, as the economic engine of Canada.
Once again, I look forward to the new responsibilities I have been given as Deputy Leader of the PC Caucus and to continue representing the interests of the people of Dufferin-Caledon at Queen’s Park.