Ford government will rewrite Ontario law to delay budget, avoid paying personal penalty
CTV
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is rewriting a provincial law in order to delay the spring budget and avoid paying a personal penalty – a move that political critics believe is designed to give the government an advantage during the upcoming election.
The Ford government tabled legislation on Monday, which would shift the budget deadline from March 31 to April 30, giving the Ontario Progressive Conservative party a springboard into the provincial election expected to begin in early May.
The reason, according to Government House Leader Paul Calandra, is to give the government the latest financial projections as the province exits COVID-19 restrictions and as various levels of governments end their pandemic-related support programs.
“As we come out of that, review where we are at, review economic forecasts and we can put forward a budget that truly represents where we are as a province and where we’re going,” Calandra told CTV News Toronto at Queen’s Park.
The government, however, is also circumventing a law the PC party put in place in 2019 that created firm financial reporting deadlines that then Finance Minister Vic Fedeli claimed was an “iron clad guarantee” from Premier Ford.
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