Ontario NDP unveils 2022 election platform with big promises for health care and affordability

Andrea Horwath's NDP unveiled its platform for the 2022 election campaign on Monday, with health-care and pocketbook-related commitments forming the core of a sweeping set of promises.

"So many folks are working day in and day out, while the cost of living keeps going up and your wages aren't," Horwath told a crowd of supporters and NDP candidates at an event in downtown Toronto.

"For far too long, government just hasn't been working for people, and COVID really exposed that," she said. "The good news is that we know it doesn't have to be this way. We can fix what matters most to people."

Among the NDP's central promisesis a planto provide prescription drug coverage for all Ontarians, as well as the accelerated implementation of a dental care program and a freeze on income tax for low and middle-income residents if the party forms government after the June 2 election.

You can read the full platform document at the bottom of this story.

The pitch to voters on universal pharmacare emphasizes affordability, particularly for people who don't have drug benefit plans and have to pay for their medications. It would at first cover a baseline of 125 medications,including birth control as well as cancer drugs.

Horwath repeatedly tied health-care issues to the rising cost of living, which various polls suggest will be a defining issue in the upcoming Ontario election. Shedescribed the election as a"high stakes" contest for the future of the province.

"Too many Ontarians must choose between filling their prescriptions or paying the bills," reads a portion of the party's platform.

"The Ontario NDP will act immediately to accelerate pharmacare ensuring all Ontarians have prescription drug coverage faster," says the platform, which puts the net cost of the program at $475 million.

At least 2.2 million Ontarians have no prescription drug coverage, according to provincial government figures, with out-of-pocket spending on medications totalling $2.5 billion annually.

Currently, the province's Ontario Drug Benefit program covers the cost of prescription medications for all seniors, regardless of income, as well as for people receiving Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program funding.

The previous Liberal government brought in prescription drug coverage for everyone under 25 back in 2017. Premier Doug Ford's government rolled that back in 2018 shortly after taking office, so the province's coverage for children and young adults now only applies to those without private insurance benefits.

The NDP is the first of Ontario's political parties to release its campaign platform. It did not come with an estimated price tag, but the party said one is coming before election day.Party officials said they need to see the government's updated budget set to be released on Thursday ahead of an expected election callbefore finalizing their own fiscal plan.

Pandemic exposed weakness of health-care system, NDP says

The NDP's platform frequently criticizes the Ford government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and ties those critiques to a far-reaching set of commitments, including a promise tohire 10,000 personal support workers and give them a raise of at least $2 an hour.

The Progressive Conservative government raised most PSW wages by $3 an hour during the pandemic, and the NDP says they would increase that even further, to $5 an hour compared to pre-pandemic levels for all.

The New Democrats also pledged to hire 30,000 nurses, expedite credential recognition for 15,000 internationally trained nurses and create new jobs for late-career and recently retired nurses who can mentor and supervise. The party said the goal is to shorten wait times for patients and help health-care workers avoid burnout.

Another health-care promise is a commitment to raise funding for hospitals, including increasing base operating funding by 3.5 per cent, something the Ontario Hospital Association has asked for and costed at $735 million.

The platform also included a series of pandemic-specificpromises, including the intention to hold an independent inquiry into COVID-19, expand available sick days for workers and establish a plan for business supports in the event of future public health restrictions.

There's also a promise to support Ontarians who are experiencing long COVID by ensuing they are supported by primary care providers and funding research into the condition.

NDP promises $20 minimum wage by 2026

Monday's platform release also updated a previous NDP announcement on housing, and now targets building 100,000 social housing units for $493 million annually, and 60,000 supportive housing units for $100 million annually.

The New Democrats also committed to introducing a speculation and vacancy tax as part of a broader plan to make housing more affordable in the province, as well as a promiseto reintroduce rent control for apartments.

There's also a pledge to freeze income taxes on low-income and middle-income households for four years though there were few details on that aspect of the platform. Horwath said that high-income earners and corporations would also be asked to "pay their fair share."

Other aspects of the NDP's platform have been already been detailed in the lead-up to the campaign, including plans to cover mental health care under OHIP;phase out for-profit long-term care ownership; cancel Highway 413 and the Byford Bypass and scrap Bill 124, which capped wage increases for public sector workers.

The party also promised to raise the minimum wage to $16 per hour in 2022, rising to $20 in 2026.

On the issue of electoral reform, the NDP is proposing to create a "mixed member proportional voting system" that will be designed by an independent group and supported by experts members of major provincial parties.

None of the other parties have indicated when they will release their full campaign platforms, although Steven Del Duca's Liberals and Mike Schreiner's Green Party have each unveiled several key promises.

Meanwhile, Ford and his cabinet ministers have made billions of dollars worth of government announcements in recent weeks, and many of them can be expected to form part of the Ontario PC Party's re-election platform.