Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government has cut the budget for financial supports to help victims of violence by more than $17 million.

Independent MPP Randy Hillier revealed the extent of changes in the legislature on Tuesday when he questioned Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod.

“The ... year-over-year estimates show a reduction of $17 million for women’s shelters and supports for victims of violence, from $172 to $155 million,” said the Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MPP.

Hillier, who served with MacLeod as a Tory MPP until Premier Doug Ford kicked him out of the Progressive Conservative caucus, chided his former colleague.

“In opposition, we both were very critical of government for leaving agencies and organizations in the dark on their funding, yet we still have today these shelters operating in uncertainty,” he told the minister.

“Without this critical budget information, both the shelters and the women and children they serve are living in the dark.”

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MacLeod did not dispute that the $172,123,400 in last year’s estimates from the previous Liberal government had been slashed to $155,037,300, a cut of $17,086,100.

“Let me be perfectly clear where it comes to the numbers the member opposite is stating,” she countered, referring to the Liberal budget that was passed before election last June 7.

“These perceived reductions are due to the elimination of unfunded and unallocated resources from the Liberal campaign budget. That was irresponsible. Many of us in the social service types of portfolios have had to contend with a fictitious budget that was written on the back of a napkin.”

MacLeod’s comments came even though the Tories’ April budget earmarks $4.9 billion more in spending that the final Liberal fiscal blueprint last spring.

At $163.4 billion, Finance Minister Vic Fedeli’s budget is the largest in Ontario history. But MacLeod’s department took the biggest hit, down $892 million from last year’s estimate of $17.5 billion.

That was due mostly due to changes Ontario’s social assistance programs, Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program.

“This government has cut back seriously programs and services for women,” said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

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“I guess that’s what they believe — that women should go it alone and not get access to women’s shelters, not get transitional housing, not get programs to help women in poverty live a better life.”

Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser noted “Mr. Hillier quoted some numbers from estimates, which indicate, yes, they have been cut.

“And the minister refused to say, ‘Yes, I’ll let these women’s shelters know almost two months into the fiscal year what their budget is,” said Fraser.

Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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