The Progressive Conservative or PC Party was founded in 1854 and is currently headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. It is a centre-right party that pursues policies toward increased deregulation, reduced government spending, and tax reduction.
Origin
The predecessor of the PC Party, the Liberal Conservative Coalition was founded by George-Étienne Cartier and John A. Macdonald who became the first party leader. In 1949, the party was renamed to Progressive Conservative Party after winning a minority government in 1943, 1945, and 1948.
Principles and Policy Objectives
Competitive economy is one of the main pillars to develop policies so that everyone is able to pursue opportunities. The right to private property and economic freedom are the keys to economic growth and stability. The main principles that drive policy decisions also include cultural diversity, Canadian federalism, the rule of law, and freedom of assembly, speech, and worship.
To help achieve economic prosperity for all individuals, the party promised to implement policies toward lowering taxes and gas prices, introducing refundable tax credits, and minimizing government spending. The key focus areas are affordable housing, improved infrastructure and transportation, quality health care, balanced budget, affordable electricity, and more jobs. In the area of housing, the goal is to offer incentives to build more rental units as to ensure that everyone enjoys affordable housing. The party also supports infrastructural expansion through highway and high-speed rail projects to effectively eliminate barriers to quality service. Energy and electricity is another focus area where the party promised to reduce electricity rates for small businesses, the agricultural sector, and residential users by cancelling contracts and other measures. The party’s platform also emphasized on the importance of government accountability and measures to achieve a balanced budget. The PC Party promised to audit all government programs and assess the deficit. Policies were also envisioned to ensure that commissions, boards, and government agencies are not buying tables and tickets for political events. More about budget: https://www.smartborrowing.ca/8-easy-steps-to-become-debt-free-in-2022/ and credit https://www.smartborrowing.ca/refresh-financial-improve-your-credit-score-with-secured-credit-card/. Read more about borrowing: https://www.smartborrowing.ca/
PC Party in Power
The PC Party won a majority government in the 2018 general elections. In line with its agenda, the government merged several specialized healthcare agencies, including Health Shared Services Ontario, Health Quality Ontario, and Cancer Care Ontario. Different agencies were merged into Ontario Health to cut spending by $350 million a year. The government also created healthcare coordination organizations known as Ontario Health Teams to provide residential long term care, palliative care, community and home care, emergency and primary care, and addictions and mental health services. The government also announced a plan to introduce tax cuts for persons with incomes below $30,000 a year. The Individuals and Families Tax Credit was introduced as a way to provide tax relief to low-income individuals. To combat tax evasion, the government introduced a specialized unit of tax experts that will monitor for illegitimate transactions.
The government also introduced the Fair Hydro Plan which tied hydro rate increases to inflation. At the same time, after being threatened with dismissal, Hydro One’s board members resigned and CEO Mayo Schmidt retired. According to estimates, board members received compensations for stock holdings in the amount of $4.9 million. Former CEO Mayo Schmidt received a total of $9.4 million in pension payments, bonuses, compensations for stock holdings, and other payments.
Amendments were made to different legislative acts, among which the Education Act, Compensation for Victims of Crime Act, and Fire Protection and Prevention Act. The Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act was also amended so that inspectors appointed by the Minister of Transportation have powers to evaluate, examine, audit, and inspect transit infrastructure.