Mulcair’s vanishing health care pledge

August 28, 2015

MONTREAL – Thomas Mulcair will need to break his promises and impose massive cuts to balance the budget next spring, and the NDP’s health care promise seems to be first on the chopping block, said Liberal candidate for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount, Marc Garneau.

According to the Canadian Press:

“NDP Leader Tom Mulcair is backing away from his pledge to restore up to $36 billion in provincial health care transfers as he vows to pay for other pricey campaign commitments within a balanced budget.

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The NDP leader first made the promise last summer in what his party billed as a ‘historic’ speech to the Canadian Medical Association. He castigated Stephen Harper’s government for its plan to reduce the rate of increase in health transfers to the provinces starting in 2017, a move he said would rob the provinces of up to $36 billion over 10 years.

‘An NDP government would use any budget surplus to cancel the proposed cuts to health care,’ he said at the time.

However, since then Mulcair has said little about that promise while he’s added a number of others – including a $5-billion national child care program – that would apparently take priority.

Pressed on the health transfer issue Thursday during a campaign stop in Toronto, Mulcair said it now appears the budget surpluses on which he based his promise won’t materialize.

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He has not addressed how or if he would find a surplus to funnel into health transfers while honouring all his other campaign commitments.”

“Thomas Mulcair’s promise to balance the budget in just six or seven months means the NDP will be forced to impose cuts and break its promises,” said Mr. Garneau. “Mulcair already seems to be backing off his own health care spending promise.”

“On the minimum wage, on child care, and now on health care, Thomas Mulcair talks a good game but there’s no substance behind it. It doesn’t add up,” said Mr. Garneau. “What other cuts will Thomas Mulcair impose? What other promises will he break?”