Ontario PC party leader Patrick Brown speaks during the annual PC caucus meeting on July 28, 2015 at Roberta Bondar Park in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Kenneth Armstrong/SooToday
Over 20 Progressive Conservative MPPs, most of them dressed in Tory blue shirts, gathered on the Sault Ste. Marie waterfront Tuesday afternoon to address the media.
Most of the 28-member PC caucus, led by their recently elected new leader Patrick Brown, were at the Delta Sault Ste. Marie Waterfront Hotel for the party's annual caucus retreat.
Brown did not offer a clear platform for the the Northern Ontario economy, but in broad strokes, said red tape and energy prices must be brought under control.
"There have been job losses in the Sault…(and) when I visit different towns and cities in Ontario there tend to be common concerns and those relate to red tape, transportation corridors, having energy prices that are simply not competitive and the common concerns we're hearing around the ORPP (Ontario Retirement Pension Plan, considered by critics to be a job killer for employers) and this new (proposed) cap and trade tax."
"The energy policies of this Liberal government have been the most damaging of their policies…whether it's the gas plant scandal, the smart meters, and now the fire sale of Hydro One," Brown said.
Brown continued, “Electricity rates are crippling businesses in Ontario and placing a huge financial burden on seniors and families. When you have energy prices that aren’t competitive and significant regulatory burdens, this harms business. The ORPP and the new carbon tax will only make matters worse, creating more uncertainty when companies need stability in order to invest. We’re going to see well-paying jobs leave Northern Ontario. We need to do better.
"You can't retain jobs in Ontario unless you have competitive energy prices."
Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli looks on as Ontario PC party leader Patrick Brown speaks during the annual PC caucus meeting on July 28, at Roberta Bondar Park in Sault Ste. Marie. Kenneth Armstrong/SooToday
Brown told reporters the fact the PCs chose to hold their annual caucus retreat in Sault Ste. Marie indicates the party's interest in capturing the Sault riding, and Northern Ontario, in the next provincial election scheduled for 2018.
Elected by the Tories as new Progressive Conservative party leader in May, Brown has yet to win a seat in the Ontario Legislature.
Garfield Dunlop, MPP for Simcoe North, has announced his resignation effective August 1, the Tories anticipating Brown to win a by-election in that riding and thereby take a seat in the Legislature, but Brown criticized Premier Kathleen Wynne at Tuesday's media event for stalling a by-election call.
"I'm disappointed she's playing political games…what does the premier have to hide?"
"I want to be in the Legislature to ask the premier about energy prices, why there seems to be a complete disinterest in Northern Ontario by this government."
Brown told reporters he is confident of the party's fortunes in the next election.
"We're feeling encouraged, obviously there was disappointment before (with the party's showing) but the party's on the right track."
"A year ago we had 10,000 party members, we have 80,000 today."
"It was great to have one of the alumni from the Sault Greyhounds, Wayne Gretzky, being one of the latest additions to our party," said an enthusiastic Brown.
"We've seen the membership in this riding increase tenfold…I'm optimistic for the party in Northern Ontario."
The PC MPPs arrived in the Sault Tuesday morning and participated in caucus meetings at the Delta before Tuesday afternoon's media event.
The group was scheduled to take a tour of Tenaris Algoma Tubes afterward, to be followed by a local riding association meeting and fundraiser at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre Tuesday evening before heading back to Toronto today.
This was Brown’s fourteenth visit to Northern Ontario in the past year, and his third since becoming Leader. This is the first time the PC Caucus has held their annual retreat in Sault Ste. Marie.
