Tim Hudak
Encyclopedia
Timothy Patrick "Tim" Hudak (born November 1, 1967) is a politician
in Ontario
, Canada
, and the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
(PC Party). He also serves as member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
for the riding of Niagara West—Glanbrook
.
. His father was a high school principal and his mother was a teacher. He received a bachelor of arts
degree in economics from the University of Western Ontario
in 1990. He then studied at the University of Washington
in Seattle
on a full scholarship. He received a master's degree
in economics in 1993. Prior to being elected, Hudak worked on the U.S. – Canada Border from 1988 to 1993. Before entering public life, he worked for the Fort Erie Economic Development Corporation. In 1994, he was hired as a travelling manager by Wal-Mart
, instructing employees on the company's policies and operating procedures.
Hudak's grandparents came to Canada from Slovakia
in advance of World War II
.
, Hudak defeated Liberal
Aubrey Foley by 1,081 votes in the riding
of Niagara South. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government under Mike Harris
, although Hudak was not appointed to cabinet
during his first term in office. He served as parliamentary secretary
to Minister of Health, Jim Wilson
, and his successor, Elizabeth Witmer
. During this term, the government closed 28 hospitals and fired more than 6,000 nurses, but was also able to negotiate an agreement to exempt rural and northern hospitals from closure, including four in the Niagara region.
, and was named Minister of Northern Development and Mines on June 17, 1999.
On February 8, 2001, he was named Minister of Culture, Tourism and Recreation
. As Tourism Minister, Hudak visited 101 festivals and events across Ontario in the summer of 2001 on his More to Discover Tour. Immediately following the September 11 attacks in 2001, Hudak called together leaders in the tourism industry and executed a plan that provided $14 million for marketing to help the industry recover. During his time in the Ministry, he awarded nearly $300 million to rebuild aging infrastructure in communities across the province through SuperBuild's Sports, Culture and Tourism Partnership fund.
He supported Jim Flaherty
's unsuccessful bid to become party leader in 2002. On April 15, 2002, new Premier Ernie Eves
appointed him Minister of Consumer and Business Services.
, although Hudak was easily re-elected by a margin of 4,058 votes. He was appointed as PC Caucus Chair and critic responsible for Public Infrastructure Renewal, and later elevated to the role of critic for both Municipal Affairs and Housing and Public Infrastructure Renewal. Hudak again supported Jim Flaherty's bid to become party leader in the 2004 PC leadership election. In August 2005, PC leader John Tory
appointed Hudak to the lead role of Official Opposition Finance Critic.
Although the Tories lost the 2007 Ontario election
, Hudak won his riding with a 10,022 vote margin, gaining 51% of the popular vote.
In opposition, Hudak introduced a bill to create a new retail system for Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance
wines in competition to the provincial distribution system. He has also proposed a bill to restrict residential property assessment increases modelled on similar acts in Florida, Michigan, and Nova Scotia.
Tim Hudak and the Tories lost the 2011 provincial election
to the incumbent Liberals. The Liberals won 53 seats, PCs 37 and the NDP 17. The results left the Liberals one seat short of a majority, returning Ontario to minority government for the first time in many years.
Although the result was a disappointment for Hudak, given the large lead the PCs maintained in the polls before the election, the results represented a significant increase in seats for the party.
, quickly securing support from most of the party's caucus. Hudak also received several high-profile endorsements from Cabinet Ministers in the federal Conservative government including the Hon. John Baird
and the Hon. Jason Kenney
. During the campaign, Hudak was quoted as saying that if the PCs want to regain government, they will have to make inroads in major cities and begin "reaching out to new Canadian communities.... I want to make sure that the next wave of new Canadians -- whether from the Czech Republic or India or China -- will see the Ontario PC party as home.".
At the PC Party Leadership Convention
on June 28, 2009, in Markham, Ontario
. Hudak placed first out of the four candidates defeating Christine Elliott
, Randy Hillier
and Frank Klees
.
(OLG) after a string of controversies. The government had forced the resignation of several board members and, according to Canadian broadcaster CTV, Hudak "suggested the government was trying to pre-empt another eHealth-like scandal, and promised his party would "shine the light" on any Liberal misspending." Following Hudak's opposition, Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan fired the corporation's CEO, Kelly McDougald, "for cause". The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) also reported that a freedom-of-information request by Hudak's Tories was behind the shakeup. According to Hudak, the Liberals "knew it would be coming up in the opening session of the legislature, [so they] put it out today to head off the scandal.... But you're not going to stop the scandalous spending until [Premier Dalton] McGuinty sets the tone by firing one of his ministers."
On September 10, 2009, Hudak delivered his first major speech as Party leader to the Economic Club of Canada. In laying out his priorities, according to the Toronto Sun
, "Hudak hammered the Liberals over the millions of dollars they handed out in untendered contracts at eHealth and the lavish expense accounts at OLG. He also attacked the Liberals for picking 'winners and losers,' when it comes to investing in the economy." Specifically, Hudak slammed the government for giving a $263-million grant to a video game developer that claims to create 800 jobs over 10 years.
Still active on behalf of his local constituency, on October 19, 2009, Hudak launched a petition to support the new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital (WLMH) in West Niagara. Hudak encouraged residents in West Niagara to sign the petition so real action could be taken. Hudak’s petition called on the McGuinty government as well as the Minister of Health to stop the Hamilton-Niagara-Haldimand-Brant Local Health Integration Network from delaying the construction of the new hospital. “I decided to launch the petition because I decided enough is enough,“ Hudak told The News. “When I heard the LHIN is not going forward (with the review) until next year, that was the final straw.” Hudak stated to the Flamborough Review in October 2009.
Notably, in the midst of the fall legislative session, Hudak launched one of his first major platform pieces, the PC Caucus Small Business Jobs Plan, at a campaign-style event in the riding of Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale
. This five point plan, he said, will build the small business sector, which is essential to Ontario's economic recovery. Also during the fall of 2009, Hudak and his Party ramped up their opposition to the Harmonized Sales Tax
(HST). The HST, came into effect July 1, 2010, blends the current eight per cent provincial sales tax with the five per cent Goods and Services Tax
(GST).
By the end of 2009, polls indicated that under Hudak’s leadership, the Ontario PC Party jumped from a distant second to a double-digit lead.
The Party’s first year under Hudak’s leadership wrapped up with the Conservative’s Northern Ontario Jobs plan, a plan to restore jobs and economic growth to Ontario’s vast north. “The big picture here is that [when] developing economies like China and India grow, and the American economy rebounds, there will be a massive appetite for Ontario’s wood products and minerals and other resources,“ Hudak said. The release of the report was followed by an extensive northern tour with MPP Randy Hillier, Hudak added that the ideas put forward with the plan will serve to form the basis of a PC campaign platform for the north in the October 2011 provincial general election
.
Hudak also criticized the McGuinty’s government’s approach on Ontario’s nuclear industry. Some commentators believe the McGuinty government has been leaving Ontario's nuclear industry "drifting in the wind" after handing foreign-based Samsung a $7 billion deal to develop green power. In line with his plan for the North, Hudak commented that “Reducing Northern Ontario's high energy costs is key to making industries there more profitable and preventing future mill closures.”
In March 2010 byelections, the Tories retained retired MPP Bob Runciman's riding of Leeds-Grenville, boosting their support by 19 points to 67 per cent of the vote. The party lost a second race in Ottawa West-Nepean
to former Ottawa mayor and former MPP Bob Chiarelli
, although they improved their showing over results of the 2007 election. In a third byelection held in Toronto Centre
on the same day, the Progressive Conservative candidate came in third with fifteen percent of the vote.
Later in April, Hudak and the Ontario PC party focused Question Period on Local Health Integrated Networks (LHIN), a system of regional health authorities established by the McGuinty government. Offering examples of sole-sourced contracting, Hudak hammered the government for broken promises and removing money from front-line care. Hudak said the amount of money being paid in six-figure salaries to LHIN executives and managers has nearly doubled since 2006, according to Ontario's Sunshine List. As he said: "Every dollar that the McGuinty government spends on untendered contracts, U.S. consultants and frivolous expenses at the LHINs is a dollar that should be going to frontline patient care. Local families have waited long enough. They deserve better than to see their tax dollars go to waste." Hudak promised to dissolve the LHINs if he were to win the Ontario general election in 2011.
On Canada Day, 2010, the controversial harmonized sales tax (HST) came into effect across the province of Ontario. Tim Hudak responded by saying, “Dalton McGuinty will do what he does best, raising taxes on hard-working families. People will feel it at first at the pumps overnight. Next they will get hit with it on their utility bills." Hudak scrutinized the Liberal cabinet as being out of touch with the people of Ontario. "Just because the McGuinty Government has run out of gas - doesn't mean Ontario drivers should have to pay more for their gas. Only a Premier as out-of-touch as Dalton McGuinty would choose Canada Day as the day when we all are forced to pay more to spend time with family."
The eco-tax was a fee on certain environmentally harmful products brought in by McGuinty. Environment Minister John Gerresten gave in to public pressure on July 20 and called for a 90-day time-out from collecting the eco-tax. Hudak said, “People who share my concern about recycling programs deserve to know how their eco-tax dollars are being spent and proof that recycling rates will improve as a result of this tax. There is only one way to get rid of the McGuinty eco-tax once and for all and that is to elect a PC government in October 2011. As Premier I will eliminate the eco-tax.”
In August 2010, Ontario Ombudsman André Marin exposed a bylaw that enables local health bureaucrats to hold closed-door meetings on hospital closures. Controversial decisions on hospital restructuring in the Niagara-area health unit could now be open to judicial review due to the use of the bylaw by the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network. The report revealed disturbing secrecy in decision-making by the Hamilton-Niagara LHIN. Premier McGuinty had been responsible for establishing all of the 14 LHINs. Hudak has made transparency and accountability in government a key theme. In response to Marin’s report, Hudak committed to abolish the LHINs and redirect $200 million in savings back to the health system. Hudak said, “There is nothing community-centric about decisions the LHINs make.”
On May 26, 2011, Hudak proposed a highly controversial plan to implement mandatory street-cleaning "work gangs" made up of provincial inmates, replacing current voluntary programs. This program was described as modern-day "chain gangs" by Hudak's critics, who pointed out that such a program would be costly to implement and could pose significant security risks to the public, along with eliminating these entry-level jobs from the paid workforce.
In 2009, Hudak told a group on the Christian right that he was opposed to abortion and had signed petitions calling for the defunding of abortions. However on July 18, 2011 during the lead-up to the October 6 provincial election, Hudak tempered this claim, stating that he “may have” signed petitions calling for an end to abortion funding. He refused to answer follow-up questions from media regarding whether or not he is pro-life, but promised that he would not reopen the abortion debate if elected premier.
A Nanos Research poll released on August 16, 2011 found that fewer than one in four voters describe Hudak as the most trustworthy leader. Among women, the numbers are lower, with just one in five choosing him.
on the right-wing of the PC Party of Ontario, but was still able to secure the endorsement of moderates in his run for party leader. During the leadership race, he ran on fiscally conservative policies, such as income splitting
for young couples and families. Hudak is seen by many as the new standard-bearer for the Mike Harris Common Sense Revolution. Hudak's wife, Deb Hutton, was one of the architects of Harris's political platform.
When he was running for the PC leadership in 2009, Hudak told the Association for Reformed Political Action that he is pro-life and had signed petitions calling for the defunding of abortions.
Hudak is also an avid Twitter
, Facebook
, and social media enthusiast. In 2010 he became the first Canadian politician to have his own iPhone
application. In an attempt to grow their base of support, the Ottawa Sun reported that "PC party strategists say the device will help them connect with younger voters as well as older voters who are quickly turning to mobile devices for information."
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
(PC Party). He also serves as member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
for the riding of Niagara West—Glanbrook
Niagara West—Glanbrook (provincial electoral district)
Niagara West—Glanbrook is a provincial electoral district in south eastern Ontario, Canada. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario....
.
Background
Tim Hudak was born in Fort Erie, OntarioFort Erie, Ontario
Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly across the river from Buffalo, New York....
. His father was a high school principal and his mother was a teacher. He received a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in economics from the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
in 1990. He then studied at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
on a full scholarship. He received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in economics in 1993. Prior to being elected, Hudak worked on the U.S. – Canada Border from 1988 to 1993. Before entering public life, he worked for the Fort Erie Economic Development Corporation. In 1994, he was hired as a travelling manager by Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, instructing employees on the company's policies and operating procedures.
Hudak's grandparents came to Canada from Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
in advance of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early political career
In the provincial election of 1995Ontario general election, 1995
The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...
, Hudak defeated Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
Aubrey Foley by 1,081 votes in the riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Niagara South. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government under Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
, although Hudak was not appointed to cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
during his first term in office. He served as parliamentary secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to Minister of Health, Jim Wilson
Jim Wilson
-Sports:* James B. Wilson , American football player and coach* Jim Wilson , American Major League Baseball player* Jim Wilson , American pitcher in Major League Baseball, 1945–1958...
, and his successor, Elizabeth Witmer
Elizabeth Witmer
Elizabeth Witmer is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1990, originally representing Waterloo North and later Kitchener—Waterloo for the Progressive Conservative Party.Witmer moved with her family to Ontario at a young age...
. During this term, the government closed 28 hospitals and fired more than 6,000 nurses, but was also able to negotiate an agreement to exempt rural and northern hospitals from closure, including four in the Niagara region.
Cabinet
He was re-elected with a 5,878 vote margin in the redistributed riding of Erie—Lincoln in the 1999 provincial electionOntario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, and was named Minister of Northern Development and Mines on June 17, 1999.
On February 8, 2001, he was named Minister of Culture, Tourism and Recreation
Ministry of Tourism and Culture (Ontario)
The Ministry of Tourism and Culture was created on January 18, 2010 when the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism were combined under one minister. It is responsible for the development of policies and programs and the operation of programs related to tourism, arts, cultural industries,...
. As Tourism Minister, Hudak visited 101 festivals and events across Ontario in the summer of 2001 on his More to Discover Tour. Immediately following the September 11 attacks in 2001, Hudak called together leaders in the tourism industry and executed a plan that provided $14 million for marketing to help the industry recover. During his time in the Ministry, he awarded nearly $300 million to rebuild aging infrastructure in communities across the province through SuperBuild's Sports, Culture and Tourism Partnership fund.
He supported Jim Flaherty
Jim Flaherty
James Michael "Jim" Flaherty, PC, MP is Canada's Minister of Finance and he has also served as Ontario's Minister of Finance. From 1995 until 2005, he was the Member of Provincial Parliament for Whitby—Ajax, and a member of the Progressive Conservative Party caucus...
's unsuccessful bid to become party leader in 2002. On April 15, 2002, new Premier Ernie Eves
Ernie Eves
Ernest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
appointed him Minister of Consumer and Business Services.
Opposition
The Tories lost the provincial election of 2003Ontario general election, 2003
The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, although Hudak was easily re-elected by a margin of 4,058 votes. He was appointed as PC Caucus Chair and critic responsible for Public Infrastructure Renewal, and later elevated to the role of critic for both Municipal Affairs and Housing and Public Infrastructure Renewal. Hudak again supported Jim Flaherty's bid to become party leader in the 2004 PC leadership election. In August 2005, PC leader John Tory
John Tory
John Howard Tory is a Canadian businessman, political activist, former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, former Member of Provincial Parliament and broadcaster...
appointed Hudak to the lead role of Official Opposition Finance Critic.
Although the Tories lost the 2007 Ontario election
Ontario general election, 2007
The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, winning 71 out of a possible 107 seats with 42.2% of the popular...
, Hudak won his riding with a 10,022 vote margin, gaining 51% of the popular vote.
In opposition, Hudak introduced a bill to create a new retail system for Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance
Vintners Quality Alliance
Vintners Quality Alliance, or VQA, is a regulatory and appellation system which guarantees the high quality and authenticity of origin for Canadian wines made under that system in British Columbia and Ontario. It is similar to regulatory systems in France , Italy , and Germany...
wines in competition to the provincial distribution system. He has also proposed a bill to restrict residential property assessment increases modelled on similar acts in Florida, Michigan, and Nova Scotia.
Tim Hudak and the Tories lost the 2011 provincial election
Ontario general election, 2011
The 40th Ontario general election was held on October 6, 2011 to elect members of the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The Ontario Liberal Party will form a minority government, with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario serving as the Official Opposition and the Ontario New...
to the incumbent Liberals. The Liberals won 53 seats, PCs 37 and the NDP 17. The results left the Liberals one seat short of a majority, returning Ontario to minority government for the first time in many years.
Although the result was a disappointment for Hudak, given the large lead the PCs maintained in the polls before the election, the results represented a significant increase in seats for the party.
Provincial leadership
In April 2009, Hudak entered the campaign for the leadership of the PC Party of OntarioProgressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
, quickly securing support from most of the party's caucus. Hudak also received several high-profile endorsements from Cabinet Ministers in the federal Conservative government including the Hon. John Baird
John Baird (Canadian politician)
John Russell Baird, PC, MP is a Canadian politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper....
and the Hon. Jason Kenney
Jason Kenney
Jason T. Kenney, PC, MP is Canada's current Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. He has represented the riding of Calgary Southeast in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997....
. During the campaign, Hudak was quoted as saying that if the PCs want to regain government, they will have to make inroads in major cities and begin "reaching out to new Canadian communities.... I want to make sure that the next wave of new Canadians -- whether from the Czech Republic or India or China -- will see the Ontario PC party as home.".
At the PC Party Leadership Convention
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election, 2009
On March 6, 2009, Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leader John Tory announced his intention to step down as leader following his defeat in a by-election. Tory was elected party leader in the party's 2004 leadership election, and led the party to defeat in the 2007 provincial election in...
on June 28, 2009, in Markham, Ontario
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
. Hudak placed first out of the four candidates defeating Christine Elliott
Christine Elliott
Christine Janice Elliott is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in a byelection on March 30, 2006. Elliott was a candidate in the 2009 Progressive Conservative leadership election and came in third place behind winner Tim Hudak and runner-up Frank...
, Randy Hillier
Randy Hillier
Randall George Hillier is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman.Hillier was drafted by the Boston Bruins in 1980 while playing for the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL. He served the Bruins during his first three NHL seasons, but was best known for his seven seasons with the Pittsburgh...
and Frank Klees
Frank Klees
Frank Klees is a Canadian politician and the Progressive Conservative member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Newmarket—Aurora north of Toronto. He was a candidate in the 2009 Progressive Conservative leadership election placing second behind victor Tim Hudak.-Early life:Klees was born...
.
Official Opposition
In August 2009, shortly after taking power, Hudak criticized the Ontario Lottery and Gaming CorporationOntario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation , known for corporate branding purposes simply as OLG since 2006, is a Crown Corporation of the Government of Ontario, Canada. It is responsible for the province's lotteries, charity and Aboriginal casinos, commercial casinos, and slot machines at...
(OLG) after a string of controversies. The government had forced the resignation of several board members and, according to Canadian broadcaster CTV, Hudak "suggested the government was trying to pre-empt another eHealth-like scandal, and promised his party would "shine the light" on any Liberal misspending." Following Hudak's opposition, Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan fired the corporation's CEO, Kelly McDougald, "for cause". The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) also reported that a freedom-of-information request by Hudak's Tories was behind the shakeup. According to Hudak, the Liberals "knew it would be coming up in the opening session of the legislature, [so they] put it out today to head off the scandal.... But you're not going to stop the scandalous spending until [Premier Dalton] McGuinty sets the tone by firing one of his ministers."
On September 10, 2009, Hudak delivered his first major speech as Party leader to the Economic Club of Canada. In laying out his priorities, according to the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
, "Hudak hammered the Liberals over the millions of dollars they handed out in untendered contracts at eHealth and the lavish expense accounts at OLG. He also attacked the Liberals for picking 'winners and losers,' when it comes to investing in the economy." Specifically, Hudak slammed the government for giving a $263-million grant to a video game developer that claims to create 800 jobs over 10 years.
Still active on behalf of his local constituency, on October 19, 2009, Hudak launched a petition to support the new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital (WLMH) in West Niagara. Hudak encouraged residents in West Niagara to sign the petition so real action could be taken. Hudak’s petition called on the McGuinty government as well as the Minister of Health to stop the Hamilton-Niagara-Haldimand-Brant Local Health Integration Network from delaying the construction of the new hospital. “I decided to launch the petition because I decided enough is enough,“ Hudak told The News. “When I heard the LHIN is not going forward (with the review) until next year, that was the final straw.” Hudak stated to the Flamborough Review in October 2009.
Notably, in the midst of the fall legislative session, Hudak launched one of his first major platform pieces, the PC Caucus Small Business Jobs Plan, at a campaign-style event in the riding of Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale
Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale (provincial electoral district)
Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale is a provincial electoral district in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It was created for the 2007 provincial election...
. This five point plan, he said, will build the small business sector, which is essential to Ontario's economic recovery. Also during the fall of 2009, Hudak and his Party ramped up their opposition to the Harmonized Sales Tax
Harmonized Sales Tax
The Harmonized Sales Tax is the name used in Canada to describe the combination of the federal Goods and Services Tax and the regional Provincial Sales Tax into a single value added sales tax in five of the ten Canadian provinces: Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, British...
(HST). The HST, came into effect July 1, 2010, blends the current eight per cent provincial sales tax with the five per cent Goods and Services Tax
Goods and Services Tax (Canada)
The Goods and Services Tax is a multi-level value added tax introduced in Canada on January 1, 1991, by then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his finance minister Michael Wilson. The GST replaced a hidden 13.5% Manufacturers' Sales Tax ; Mulroney claimed the GST was implemented because the MST...
(GST).
By the end of 2009, polls indicated that under Hudak’s leadership, the Ontario PC Party jumped from a distant second to a double-digit lead.
The Party’s first year under Hudak’s leadership wrapped up with the Conservative’s Northern Ontario Jobs plan, a plan to restore jobs and economic growth to Ontario’s vast north. “The big picture here is that [when] developing economies like China and India grow, and the American economy rebounds, there will be a massive appetite for Ontario’s wood products and minerals and other resources,“ Hudak said. The release of the report was followed by an extensive northern tour with MPP Randy Hillier, Hudak added that the ideas put forward with the plan will serve to form the basis of a PC campaign platform for the north in the October 2011 provincial general election
Ontario general election, 2011
The 40th Ontario general election was held on October 6, 2011 to elect members of the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The Ontario Liberal Party will form a minority government, with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario serving as the Official Opposition and the Ontario New...
.
Hudak also criticized the McGuinty’s government’s approach on Ontario’s nuclear industry. Some commentators believe the McGuinty government has been leaving Ontario's nuclear industry "drifting in the wind" after handing foreign-based Samsung a $7 billion deal to develop green power. In line with his plan for the North, Hudak commented that “Reducing Northern Ontario's high energy costs is key to making industries there more profitable and preventing future mill closures.”
In March 2010 byelections, the Tories retained retired MPP Bob Runciman's riding of Leeds-Grenville, boosting their support by 19 points to 67 per cent of the vote. The party lost a second race in Ottawa West-Nepean
Ottawa West—Nepean (provincial electoral district)
Ottawa West—Nepean is a provincial electoral district in eastern Ontario, Canada. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.The riding has been represented in the Ontario legislature by Liberal Bob Chiarelli since 2010....
to former Ottawa mayor and former MPP Bob Chiarelli
Bob Chiarelli
Robert "Bob" Chiarelli is a Canadian politician. He served in the Ontario Legislative Assembly from 1987 to 1997, and was subsequently re-elected to the legislature in 2010 after serving as regional chair and mayor of Ottawa from 1997 to 2006...
, although they improved their showing over results of the 2007 election. In a third byelection held in Toronto Centre
Toronto Centre (provincial electoral district)
Toronto Centre is a provincial electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.It was created in 1999 as Toronto Centre—Rosedale from most of St. George—St. David and parts of St. Andrew—St...
on the same day, the Progressive Conservative candidate came in third with fifteen percent of the vote.
Later in April, Hudak and the Ontario PC party focused Question Period on Local Health Integrated Networks (LHIN), a system of regional health authorities established by the McGuinty government. Offering examples of sole-sourced contracting, Hudak hammered the government for broken promises and removing money from front-line care. Hudak said the amount of money being paid in six-figure salaries to LHIN executives and managers has nearly doubled since 2006, according to Ontario's Sunshine List. As he said: "Every dollar that the McGuinty government spends on untendered contracts, U.S. consultants and frivolous expenses at the LHINs is a dollar that should be going to frontline patient care. Local families have waited long enough. They deserve better than to see their tax dollars go to waste." Hudak promised to dissolve the LHINs if he were to win the Ontario general election in 2011.
On Canada Day, 2010, the controversial harmonized sales tax (HST) came into effect across the province of Ontario. Tim Hudak responded by saying, “Dalton McGuinty will do what he does best, raising taxes on hard-working families. People will feel it at first at the pumps overnight. Next they will get hit with it on their utility bills." Hudak scrutinized the Liberal cabinet as being out of touch with the people of Ontario. "Just because the McGuinty Government has run out of gas - doesn't mean Ontario drivers should have to pay more for their gas. Only a Premier as out-of-touch as Dalton McGuinty would choose Canada Day as the day when we all are forced to pay more to spend time with family."
The eco-tax was a fee on certain environmentally harmful products brought in by McGuinty. Environment Minister John Gerresten gave in to public pressure on July 20 and called for a 90-day time-out from collecting the eco-tax. Hudak said, “People who share my concern about recycling programs deserve to know how their eco-tax dollars are being spent and proof that recycling rates will improve as a result of this tax. There is only one way to get rid of the McGuinty eco-tax once and for all and that is to elect a PC government in October 2011. As Premier I will eliminate the eco-tax.”
In August 2010, Ontario Ombudsman André Marin exposed a bylaw that enables local health bureaucrats to hold closed-door meetings on hospital closures. Controversial decisions on hospital restructuring in the Niagara-area health unit could now be open to judicial review due to the use of the bylaw by the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network. The report revealed disturbing secrecy in decision-making by the Hamilton-Niagara LHIN. Premier McGuinty had been responsible for establishing all of the 14 LHINs. Hudak has made transparency and accountability in government a key theme. In response to Marin’s report, Hudak committed to abolish the LHINs and redirect $200 million in savings back to the health system. Hudak said, “There is nothing community-centric about decisions the LHINs make.”
On May 26, 2011, Hudak proposed a highly controversial plan to implement mandatory street-cleaning "work gangs" made up of provincial inmates, replacing current voluntary programs. This program was described as modern-day "chain gangs" by Hudak's critics, who pointed out that such a program would be costly to implement and could pose significant security risks to the public, along with eliminating these entry-level jobs from the paid workforce.
In 2009, Hudak told a group on the Christian right that he was opposed to abortion and had signed petitions calling for the defunding of abortions. However on July 18, 2011 during the lead-up to the October 6 provincial election, Hudak tempered this claim, stating that he “may have” signed petitions calling for an end to abortion funding. He refused to answer follow-up questions from media regarding whether or not he is pro-life, but promised that he would not reopen the abortion debate if elected premier.
A Nanos Research poll released on August 16, 2011 found that fewer than one in four voters describe Hudak as the most trustworthy leader. Among women, the numbers are lower, with just one in five choosing him.
Political views
Hudak is a Blue ToryBlue Tory
Blue Tories, also known as small 'c' conservatives, are, in Canadian politics, members of the former federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, current Conservative Party of Canada and provincial Progressive Conservative parties who are more economically right wing...
on the right-wing of the PC Party of Ontario, but was still able to secure the endorsement of moderates in his run for party leader. During the leadership race, he ran on fiscally conservative policies, such as income splitting
Income splitting
Income splitting is the legal concept of fusing a married couple into a single economic entity for purposes of tax filing status. It would treat married people preferentially, in the same sense they are treated preferentially in many areas of American state law as well as federal inheritance...
for young couples and families. Hudak is seen by many as the new standard-bearer for the Mike Harris Common Sense Revolution. Hudak's wife, Deb Hutton, was one of the architects of Harris's political platform.
When he was running for the PC leadership in 2009, Hudak told the Association for Reformed Political Action that he is pro-life and had signed petitions calling for the defunding of abortions.
Personal life
Hudak married Deb Hutton on October 5, 2002 and together they have a daughter, Miller Olive Hudak (born October 3, 2007). They have a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever dog named Tavis. Hudak is of ethnic Slovak descent from his father's side, and Irish/ Franco-Ontarian from his mother, Anne Marie's side, whose maiden name was Dillon.Hudak is also an avid Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, and social media enthusiast. In 2010 he became the first Canadian politician to have his own iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
application. In an attempt to grow their base of support, the Ottawa Sun reported that "PC party strategists say the device will help them connect with younger voters as well as older voters who are quickly turning to mobile devices for information."