'Opening of the books' underway in Ontario, new finance minister Vic Fedeli says

Ontario's newest finance minister says a line by line analysis of the province's books will be done to determine the current state of Ontario's finances.

"That's the only way we'll be able to properly comment on where we are is to truly know where we are," Nipissing MPP and finance minister, Vic Fedeli said.

"We know one thing for sure — and that's that we don't know where we are."

The Progressive Conservatives 21 person cabinet, including Premier Doug Ford, was sworn in at a ceremony at Queen's Park last Friday.

"We're all very excited," Fedeli said.

"We're looking forward to working for the people."

Fedeli says Premier Ford wants a line by line analysis done for the province's books.

"We've got massive debt in Ontario. We have continuing deficits. So there needs to be … an opening of the books," Fedeli said.

"I never believed the Liberals in any of the numbers they've given us. Neither does the auditor general, neither does the financial accountability officer so we know we're going to be in for plenty of bumpy rides from looking at the books."

Despite just being sworn in, the Progressive Conservatives have already made changes to prescription drug coverage for young people. Earlier this year, the Liberals set up a pharmacare program to provide free coverage on more than 4,400 drugs to children and youth under the age of 24.

Fedeli says the program, called OHIP+ had its problems.

"In my office, people would come in and their complaints about it, it was because drugs there were getting from their carriers, their drug carriers, were no longer covered by the government program," he said.

The revamped program will focus on youth who do not have an existing prescription drug plan.