U.S. President Donald Trump has taught us all about so-called political discourse based on “huge” exaggerations and falsehoods.

As I write this, Trump is pushing the stock market into a vertical nose dive with trade-war threats that hardly tally with the business acumen he loves to boast about. Americans are paying a very steep price for voting for his slogan, “Make America great again,” instead of a platform grounded in down-to-earth reality.

None of this, of course, is new. But Trump’s hyperbole and lies do provide a disquieting note of caution to Ontarians as they head toward the polls with new Conservative leader Doug Ford promising to use his own business perspicacity to weed out $6 billion in spending from the province’s books by eliminating “inefficiencies” without any loss of public-sector jobs.

That money is supposed to pay for Ford’s promises, including a decrease in hospital wait times, meaning that Ford certainly isn’t going to find any savings in the health sector, which accounts for a whopping 42 per cent of program spending in the province. If anything, more money is needed for health.

Nor is there any real money lying around in the broad sector of education and training (another 27 per cent of the provincial program budget).

Investing in our future labour force is the only sure ticket to prosperity in the years ahead. But, what would it really mean if Ford were to look for his $6 billion in education. Either closing more than 1-in-5 elementary and secondary schools throughout the province and laying off about 66,000 teachers, or ripping out more than half of the budget for colleges, universities and skills development.

If Ford were to wipe out the entire justice system— $4.7 billion — he still wouldn’t have his $6 billion in savings.

He could get it from Children’s and Social Services ($16.9 billion), but that would mean slashing those vital services by roughly 35 per cent. Great if he believes that thousands of kids, abused women, disabled Ontarians and welfare recipients should join the already far too many homeless people now sleeping on the streets.

Or he could get his $6 billion by wiping out about 30 per cent of every other government program, including transit and transportation, agriculture, tourism, the environment, and municipal affairs.

Alternatively, if Ford thinks public servants are inefficient, he could generate his needed savings by firing all 60,000 of them. That would save nearly $6 billion but it would leave him to run the province all by himself.

Oh yes, slogans are appealing. If it didn’t already belong to General Electric, the slogan “Imagination at work” could accurately describe Ford’s fiscal plan.

But don’t take my word for it. Just consider Conservative estimates of how many jobs would have to be eliminated to generate savings of $6 billion. Back in 2014, then-Conservative leader Tim Hudak promised to eliminate 100,000 public-sector jobs in Ontario for savings that he estimated at $2 billion. When the reality of what those job losses would mean took hold in the minds of Ontarians, they sent Hudak packing.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

And with Ford basing Ontario’s future on $6 billion in fictitious efficiencies — a figure clearly picked out of thin air — a prudent election outcome is possible only if, and it’s an awfully big if, Ontarians wake up in time to what this huckster is selling.

Nathan Laurie is a former member of The Star’s editorial board.

Read more about: