New partnership announced to ensure Ontario PCs stay conservative

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OTTAWA — Ensuring the Doug Ford government adhere to conservative principles is the goal of a new partnership between two advocacy organizations.

The National Citizens Coalition (NCC) has announced a collaboration with Project Ontario — an initiative co-founded by Toronto’s Matt Spoke intended to reintroduce conservative principles to Ontario’s governance — to hold the Ford government to account.

“When conservatives lose their principles, Ontario loses its way,” said NCC director Alex Brown.

“It’s increasingly kind of remarkable that the role of the opposition in Ontario, they’re not standing up to the Ford government, and so it seems like it’s having to fall on conservatives and folks on their side.”

The partnership, he said, aims to fill the void, either through the media or reaching out to people at Queen’s Park.

The most recent example, Brown said, was Ford’s now walked-back call for asylum seekers to get work permits — a curious statement while Canada deals with a critical shortage of jobs for young people as employers fill their positions with international students and temporary foreign workers. 

“It’s the big stuff, it’s housing, health care, school choice,” Brown said.

“A four-alarm fire that threatens to become a five-alarm fire really quick is youth unemployment in Ontario — it’s hitting record highs consistently.”

With the Ford Conservatives getting the fundamentals wrong, Brown said it’s up to the people to advocate for change.

“There’s a lack of clear vision and bold policy, and really any conservative values — it’s a continued disappointment,” he said.

“If the Ontario Liberals and provincial NDP aren’t going to stand up, then it’s going to fall to citizens and groups and those frustrated with the stagnation seen in the province.”

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
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