Updated: Ontario Snap Election Avoided as Budget Passes

The 2012-2013 Ontario budget was passed by a 52-35 margin earlier today. As a result, there will not be a summer election in the province.

Tabled in March by the minority-Liberal government, the Ontario budget required opposition support to pass. The NDP abstained from the vote, allowing the Liberals to pass the bill. NDP leader Andrea Horwath had always pledged to support the budget, but Liberals were unhappy with recent changes that had been made to “gut” the budget.

According to the National Post, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan fears these changes will “derail” the government’s plan to eliminate the provincial deficit through “billions” in lost revenue. As a result, Premier Dalton McGuinty had threatened to call a July 19^th election to “take [the budget] to the people.” 

Tim Hudak’s Opposition PC and Horwath’s third-party NDP used their 5-4 majority status on the finance committee to vote down clauses in the budget that would allow further privatization of government services. Unlike the NDP, Hudak has never supported this budget. The entire PC caucus voted against the bill today.

In March, more than 1,300 High School students took part in the first Ontario Student Budget Consultation (OSBC), a program of our parent charity CIVIX. Results show that Ontario high-school students are concerned about the provincial deficit of $16 billion and the impact it will have on their future. Respondents acknowledge the need for a balanced budget, but want it to come from spending cuts – not tax increases. When pressed, students would increase corporate and “sin” taxes as a means of raising revenue for the province.

Click here for the complete results of the OSBC.

To view the results from the 2011 Ontario Student Vote, click here.

Dan

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