Elections in Ontario | A taste of the Quebec countryside?

Ontarians will go to the polls on June 2 to elect their next government. Could promises from the four major parties to put money back in taxpayers’ pockets inspire Quebec’s next election campaign? Here is a summary of their proposals.

(Ottawa) Cost of living

• Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative Party promises to raise the minimum wage, currently $15 an hour, to $15.50 an hour starting 1^Ahem October to offset inflation, which is harder for low-wage workers to absorb. Proposes increasing the low-income tax credit from $850 to $875 and offering it to an additional 700,000 taxpayers.
• The Liberal Party would raise the minimum wage to $16 an hour. It also promises to eliminate the provincial portion of the harmonized sales tax on prepared meals costing less than $20, purchased at restaurants or food counters. Big box stores and supermarkets with annual revenues greater than $1 billion would foot the bill.
• The New Democratic Party has pledged to raise the minimum wage by $1 a year, to $20 an hour in 2026. It would freeze taxes for low- and middle-income families.
• The Green Party would also raise the minimum wage by $1 a year without a cap and add an income supplement in areas where the cost of living is higher.

Immovable

• Progressive Conservatives are proposing to build 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years, as recommended by the Affordable Housing Task Force. They would cut red tape to speed up the project approval process for municipalities and are prepared to change provincial law to allow them to tax vacant homes. Since March 30, 2022, the government has already imposed a 20% tax on real estate speculation throughout the province.
• The Liberals also promise the construction of 1.5 million new houses in 10 years, the reduction of red tape, and the taxation of unoccupied houses. They want to restore rent control to prevent greedy surges.
• The New Democrats would go even further by preventing landlords from raising their rent after tenants move out. They would introduce a 2% tax on the value of vacant homes and reform zoning to favor the construction of duplexes, triplexes, and townhouses.
• The Greens would build 182,000 community homes in 10 years, 60,000 of which would be for the most vulnerable. They would make inclusionary zoning mandatory for new buildings to contain 20% affordable housing. Inspections of homes for sale would be mandatory and at the seller’s expense. They also promise to regulate rent increases.

Transportation

• The Progressive Conservatives have already donated up to $120 per driver by waiving vehicle registration fees, months before the start of the election campaign. The Doug Ford administration also passed legislation in April to cut gasoline taxes by 5.7 cents and other fuel taxes by 5.3 cents over six months to ease rising prices. This measure will come into force on 1^Ahem July.
• Each ride on public transportation would cost just $1 under a Liberal government, anywhere in Ontario. The price of monthly passes would be capped at $40.
• New Democrats would limit gasoline prices through the Ontario Power Board. They would lower car insurance premiums, which can double from city to city.
• The Greens would cut public transportation fares in half for at least three months across Ontario in response to rising gas prices. They would increase the provincial share of funding for public transportation to reduce user fee increases.