Hudak's planned cuts a 'pink slip pledge,' Wynne says

Ontario Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne says her Conservative counterpart's plan to shrink the public sector is one that has the potential to push the province into a recession.

"Tim Hudak is proposing a reckless and really devastating cut that would take 100,000 jobs and would replace those with pink slips," Wynne said Monday, during a campaign stop in Vaughan.

"He’s making a pink slip pledge."

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The Liberal leader went on to hammer away at Hudak’s plan and the damage she believes it could do to Ontario.

"We believe this is exactly the wrong way to go," she said.

"His approach would sacrifice our fragile economic recovery and would plunge us back toward recession. That may be his approach but it's not mine and it is not ours."

But Hudak defended his plan, which he says will save the province about $2 billion a year and trim the public sector by about 10 per cent.

"Public sector plays an important role, there's no doubt about it. That's my family: my mom, my dad, my sister too. I understand. But we need to reduce the cost and size of government," said Hudak, whose parents worked in schools.

"It is a necessary step to create one million more jobs in the province."

The PC leader has been rolling out details on a so-called “Million Jobs” plan, which if implemented, would aim to generate those jobs over an eight-year period.

The June 12 election is only a month away.

Ontario was put on a path to an election after the New Democrats signalled they would not be supporting the budget the minority Liberals had brought forward.

As the Liberals already knew the Tories would not support their budget, Wynne chose to dissolve the government and call an election, rather than wait to see the budget be formally rejected in the legislature.

At dissolution, the Liberals held 48 in the 107 seats in the legislature. The Tories had 37 and the New Democrats had 21. One seat was vacant.