“Long-awaited Drummond report on Ontario reforms set for Feb. 15.”

- Globe and Mail tweet, shortly after Tim Hudak’s call to release Drummond (February 3, 2012)

QUEEN’S PARK – The province’s political class may be breathlessly awaiting February 15th, but ordinary Ontarians alreadyknow it was Dalton McGuinty who got us in this economic mess in the first place, PC Leader Tim Hudak said today.

“This is how we got here: While revenue is up $35 billion under the Liberals, spending is up $45 billion,” Hudak said.  “And as we have shown over the past several weeks, the single biggest cost driver on the spending side is public sector compensation.

“Put another way, this year alone, we’re spending $2 million more each hour that we are taking in through revenue.”

So that is not the problem, Hudak said: “Revenue is at an all-time high.  It is uncontrolled spending on things like public sector compensation – and not a single new idea for reining that spending in – that is the central indictment of the McGuinty years.”

It’s also the Premier’s misplaced priorities that created the need for a diversion on the scale of the Drummond exercise in the first place, Hudak said, citing just one of many examples: the Electric Vehicle Incentive Program, implemented in July 2010.

“This scheme offer rebates ranging  up to $8,500 for electric cars that few can afford,” Hudak said.  “One such vehicle is the Tesla Roadster, which retails for up to $180,000.”

Hudak noted that the program is supported by an $80 million fund to build electric car recharging stations – all subsidized by taxpayers, many of whom are wringing another year out of their decade-old family cars.

“No amount of Liberal spin on this long-running side-show should obscure one central fact: Dalton McGuinty’s relentless spending and confused priorities are at the root of the crisis we face today – and he has no idea how to get us out of it,” Hudak said.

“Why are we offering subsidies to well-to-do people? Programs like these must be scrapped, which is why I have been calling for a top-to-bottom review of all spending to sort out the ‘must-have’ from the ‘nice to have’ programs.”

Regardless, all signs suggest the Premier will cave in his usual way, offer only minor tinkering in the budget and say, ‘Could have been worse – I could have done the full Drummond’ Hudak said.

Hudak added he would be watching for proposals that echo Ontario PC plans for reducing the size and cost of government, so that we can actually afford priority programs like health and education.

“These will be among our benchmarks for next week,” Hudak said. “We will fight to ensure that something good come from this year-long stalling tactic of Dalton McGuinty’s.”