Both Parties Outline Divergent Fiscal Strategies Ahead of Ontario Election
With less than a week until Ontario heads to the polls, the province’s New Democratic Party (NDP) and Liberal Party have released their full election platforms, committing to tens of billions in new spending while outlining distinct fiscal approaches.
The NDP, led by Marit Stiles, is proposing $70 billion in new spending over three years, offset by $37 billion in new revenue and savings through measures including wealth taxes. The Liberals, under Bonnie Crombie, are promising $65 billion in new spending over four years, emphasizing “efficiencies” while pledging no new taxes.
The Progressive Conservatives, led by Premier Doug Ford, are set to unveil their platform on Monday, while the Green Party released its plan earlier on February 12.
NDP Platform: Wealth Taxes and Expanded Social Programs
The NDP’s fiscal plan includes new tax brackets for high-income earners, with those making $300,000, $400,000, and $500,000 annually contributing an estimated $3 billion in additional revenue per year. The party also proposes increasing the taxable portion of capital gains from 50% to 80%, generating an estimated $3.5 billion annually. Additionally, raising the land transfer tax on homes over $3 million would bring in approximately $33 million per year.
Key commitments in the NDP platform include:
- A monthly grocery rebate
- Universal access to team-based primary care
- Establishing a public home builder to construct 300,000 affordable homes
- Creating a universal school food program
The party would invest $10.5 billion over three years in public health, $7.5 billion in housing, and $11 billion for the grocery rebate. Additionally, doubling Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) payments would cost nearly $23 billion over three years, while education funding would increase by $13 billion, including $830 million annually to address the school maintenance backlog.
“In my plan for a better Ontario, I will fight against rising costs, freeze taxes, hire doctors, build affordable homes, and fix local schools,” said Stiles in a press release.
Liberal Platform: Efficiencies Over Tax Increases
The Ontario Liberal Party has pledged $65 billion in new spending over four years, while aiming to find $28 billion in savings without introducing new taxes or tax hikes.
Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie unveiled several education-focused commitments, including:
- Building 90 new schools
- Lowering the student-to-teacher ratio
- Reducing teachers’ college programs to one year to address staffing shortages
“Our education system was once the envy of the world, but after seven years under Doug Ford, classrooms are overcrowded, schools are deteriorating, and students are learning in portables,” Crombie said.
On health care, the Liberal platform commits $29 billion over four years to ensuring every Ontarian has access to a family doctor. The party has also allocated $26 billion toward housing, economic responses to tariffs, and tax reductions, though a detailed cost breakdown was not provided.
Crombie also signaled that her government may lift the province’s school closure moratorium if it “makes more sense to close a school and build another one elsewhere.”
Progressive Conservative Campaign Focus
While Ford has yet to release his party’s platform, the Progressive Conservative leader is currently in Washington, D.C., for a second round of meetings aimed at countering U.S. tariff threats—a key focus of his re-election campaign.
With election day fast approaching, Ontario voters will weigh competing visions for the province’s future, balancing the NDP’s expansive social spending and tax reforms against the Liberals’ pledge of increased funding without additional taxes. The Progressive Conservatives’ platform, once released, will further shape the debate as Ontario heads toward the polls.