Ontario PC Leadership Candidate Analysis - Tim Hudak

Continuing on in the series, today's candidate is Tim Hudak.

• An immediate one-year payroll tax holiday on new hires
Certainly a positive step towards encouraging hiring.

• Suspending the Land Transfer Tax for one-year on all new and resale home purchases
Again, I like the moves to encourage commerce.

• Cancelling the Harmonized Sales Tax
I like tax cuts as much as anyone else. But, by the time he will be in a position to implement this, the HST will already be a reality and business will have converted. Now you want them to go through another conversion process ? Why not just reduce the Provincial tax rate accordingly instead?

• 2 000 dollar rebate for people that turn in 10 year old cars and buy new cars
Why should I pay to have my neighbour buy a new car? Why just cars? I don't like this one.

• Wage freeze for non-unionized government employees
OK. Let's hope there is a plan to do the same with the unionized ones shortly thereafter.

• Increasing the small business tax threshold
A positive, business-friendly move.

• Scrapping corporate welfare programs
Love it!

• Freeze minimum wage
My preference would be to lose the minimum wage altogether, but this is better then the job-killing increases that McGuinty has planned.

• Appoint a minister in charge of cutting ‘red tape’
Shouldn't this be the job of every cabinet minister?

• Allow new companies to defer taxes for one year
Interesting proposal.

• Seizure of property of those suspected of committing a crime
As much of a "law & order" guy as I am, seizure should come after conviction, not before.

• Introduction of family savings account
OK, So I have an RRSP, a TFSA, an RESP, ...... How many frikkin' accounts do I need?

•Allow income splitting for families with pre-school aged children
A good start. Why stop with pre-schoolers?

•Enhanced use of phonics
Good stuff.

•High school exit exams
Fantastic. Let's give a high school diploma some credibility again.

•Make economic and financial literacy a mandatory part of the high school curriculum
Again, a good concept. I'm curious as to how to implement it though.

•Eliminate unfair pressure on teachers to make sure students pass even if the student is unwilling or unable to complete the work
Teachers need the ability to give a failing grade to students. Similarly, there should be a way to get rid of underperforming teachers. When was the last time a teacher was let go because they couldn't teach?

•Toughen enforcement on graffiti
I like the "broken windows" approach on crime.

•Increase penalties for defacing private and public property
Again, I like the "broken windows" approach on crime.

•Expanding capacity at Ontario medical schools
Are we still correcting Bob Rae's mistakes?

•Promoting flexible retirement alternatives for aging doctors
OK

•Improving recognition for foreign credentials for internationally trained doctors whose training meets or exceeds Ontario’s standards
A positive idea.

•Increase the incentives and make it easier for those studying medicine abroad to return to Ontario to practice in their home province
A positive idea.

•Focused infrastructure investments to fill the gaping holes in northern roads, bridges, internet and cellular service
I like this.

•Targeted funds for northern colleges and universities
OK

•Using Crown land as an economic development tool that encourages residential, tourism and industrial development
A positive idea.

•Working with municipalities, the private sector and First Nations to facilitate economic partnerships
A positive idea.

•Ensuring reliable and affordable energy is available to attract and retain investment in Northern Ontario
Refreshing to see "reliable and affordable" take precedence over "green and undoable". This gives me hope he's a realist (as much as is possible with politicians.)

•Scrap HRT's.
The HRT issue is the big difference between some of the candidates. I have to say I'm with Tim (and Randy) on this one. Thse kangaroo courts have no place in a just society. Crimes should be prosecuted in a court of law. The right "not to be offended" does not (and should not) exist.


Overall Impression: He's a little thin on the non-political resume, but has decent cabinet experience and a decent track record. I don't agree with all his proposals, but I do agree with the large majority of it. Certainly promising.