Ontario NDP issue ‘last’ budget demand on bad day for Liberal government

Ontario politics played out on Tuesday with a mix of indignant Liberal government opponents attacking past indiscretions and future plans alike – as has become common at Queen's Park over the past several months.

It was a day of lasts. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath gave her "last" update on the proposed Liberal budget, issuing a public pseudo-declaration on what must change for the government to earn NDP support.

And at the ongoing inquiry into a politically-opportune decision to cancel construction on two gas plants, Conservative Leader Tim Hudak – the last person some would blame for the mess – was called to appear in front of the committee.

The end results was Premier Kathleen Wynne's two rivals stepping back, pointing fingers and saying, "You're in this alone."

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According to the Toronto Star, Hudak's appearance in front of the legislative committee investigating the gas plant debacle was combative, but left the opposition leader unscathed.

Liberal MPP Steven Del Duca questioned Hudak on how much he knew about the cost of cancelling two gas plants – currently tabbed at $585 million.

The exchange gave Hudak a chance to reiterate many of the same lines he has used to underline the need for a new election. According to the Star, Hudak said the minority Liberals were “trying to throw mud and see if anything sticks.”

He added, when pressed on how he would have handled the situation, the committee was supposed to find out what happened, not "what might have happened."

What happened was two planned gas plants were cancelled at the last minute leading into a tight 2011 provincial election. The cancellations happened while Dalton McGuinty was premier. After taking his place, Wynne acknowledged that the cancellations were "politically motivated."

The committee exchange on Tuesday seemed to stray between finding answers and scoring political points. In the end, NDP MPP Peter Tabuns declared Hudak "irrelevant to the inquiry." It was a statement that underlined the Liberal's position at Queen's Park: alone and out on a ledge.

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In timing that was surely coincidence, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath chose this day to declare her last and final demands from a budget that had already been designed largely to appease her.

The left-leaning party had already demanded the advent of a financial accountability office and giving the ombudsman oversight of the health-care sector.

Today, she demanded the Liberals kill a plan to consider high-occupancy toll lanes - a plan that would allow single-passenger vehicles to use commuter lanes for a fee.

Horwath said in a statement that the plan hadn't been costed and it isn't clear how much revenue would come from them.

She called the announcement her final say on the budget. Although when pressed by reporters, Horwath would not say what would happen if her demand wasn't met. CBC News reports that Horwath refused to issue an ultimatum.

Considering the Liberals need NDP support to pass the budget, the lack of an ultimatum is a good sign for them. Of course, that is vastly offset by the fact that Horwath is again demanding more concessions from a budget that was overwhelmingly attractive to her party supporters to begin with.

Add to that the points the Progressive Conservatives are scoring off the party's shadowy past and the joy their leftist rivals are taking from it, and balance tips even further. Tuesday was a bad day for the Liberals. They could use a good one soon.