Witmer questions why patients must suffer!

(Queen’s Park – October 22, 2008) Today, Ontario’s Finance Minister, Dwight Duncan, announced the province will face a $500 million deficit.

Progressive Conservative Health Critic, Elizabeth Witmer, asks how the McGuinty Liberals could have squandered their $5.6 billion surplus plus $800 million reserve fund in just seven months since their last statement. Where did taxpayers’ money go?

Although Dalton McGuinty’s health tax has taken $12.2 billion out of the pockets of hardworking families, the McGuinty Liberals have not only spent themselves into a deficit but they intend to reduce access to nurses, doctors and other health providers.

The McGuinty Liberals intend to address the deficit by cutting funding for nurses by $50 million and delaying the hiring of 9,000 nurses and by cutting funding for 50 Family Health Teams and delaying their implementation. In this regard, the government will reduce health care spending by $53 million. In contrast, the McGuinty Liberals are only looking to cut government bureaucracy by $10 million. Since 2003, the McGuinty government has hired more public sector employees than all other provinces combined. They have also increased spending on government programs by 50 per cent.

“These cuts could not be happening at a worse time,” said Witmer. “Ontario has a growing, aging population with rising rates of chronic diseases. We desperately need more nurses and doctors to meet the needs of Ontarians in long-term care, community care, primary care and in hospitals. Ontarians should not be made to suffer the consequences of these health care cuts, due to the fiscal mismanagement of the Liberals,” added Witmer.

Read the entire list of Ontario government cuts:
http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/english/media/2008/bk10-fes2.html

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For further information contact:
Elizabeth Witmer, MPP
(416) 325-1306