Queen's Park Bureau Chief
This time, he means it.
Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty, whose 2003 campaign promise not to raise taxes dogs his Oct. 10 re-election bid, said Ontarians should read his lips.
"We will not have to raise taxes, because we're in charge. We know exactly where we are," he said yesterday on Global's Focus Ontario.
McGuinty told host Sean Mallen that his decision to break that cornerstone promise and introduce the annual health tax of up to $900 was agonizing.
"I have a concern that people may not understand what motivated me to do that," the Liberal leader said.
"For me to have to break that promise was the most difficult thing I've done in 17 years of politics. I've got to tell you, I hated doing that," he said.
"That's now part of my record. I accept that. That's part and parcel of who I am."
But McGuinty, who was harshly criticized for "broken promises" by the tag team of Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory and NDP Leader Howard Hampton during Thursday's televised debate, insisted he had a good excuse.
"People now know there was a $5.6-billion hidden deficit," said McGuinty of the budget shortfall he inherited from former PC premier Ernie Eves four years ago.
"What they may not know is that I had two choices. One was to continue to cut public services, close hospitals and underfund schools or to ask Ontarians to invest more in their public services," he said.
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