General

McGuinty, Horwath exchange letters to avoid snap election

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath each penned a letter this weekend letting the other one know they want to avoid a snap election over disagreements about the Ontario budget.

Ontarians had ended last week with the looming threat of an election, as the Liberal premier said he would call a vote if the NDP tried to make any changes to the bill.

According to the National Post, McGuinty’s letter read:

The budget must remain intact. (…) You need only ensure your caucus lives up to the agreements you have already made.

And Horwath’s words to the premier:

I am glad the premier has changed his tune of the last few days and is no longer making election threats. (…) I am now more convinced than ever that we can avoid an election no one wants.

The Liberals are proposing a series of cuts and austerity measures to restore Ontario’s flagging economy, which has been hit by the loss of manufacturing jobs and lower export output. On a positive note, RBC has issued a report stating that the province’s growth will pick up in 2012:

Improvements in provincial export performance will be the key to this growth, while brisk residential construction activity will play a significant supporting role.

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