NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says she and her MPPs have a “very important job ahead” to hold the Ford government accountable.

“People are pretty worried about what Doug Ford has in store, and so am I,” said Horwath, speaking to both new and returning MPPs — there are 40 in total — for the first time since the June 7 election.

The NDP doubled the number of seats it holds and becomes Ontario’s official opposition, with more than half of them first-time MPPs. They held their first meeting all-day Thursday at a downtown Toronto hotel.

Read more:

Why did Doug Ford win a majority? This group has a few theories

73 new MPPs bring fresh perspectives to Queen’s Park

Premier-designate Doug Ford names his transition team

The Progressive Conservatives, under Leader Doug Ford, won 76 seats and were elected with about 40 per cent of the popular vote, and they formally take office June 29.

During the election campaign, Ford said he would find $6 billion in “efficiencies,” and made a number of spending promises, as well as pledging tax cuts — which eat into government revenues — without saying how they would be paid for.

“The majority of Ontarians did not vote for cuts to health care or layoffs to more nurses and more teachers or the privatization of the things that matter most to all of us,” Horwath said. “New Democrats — we will be the voice for all those Ontarians. We will hold Doug Ford accountable for each and every decision that he makes.”

Horwath also said Ford “still needs to account for the scandals and investigations that plagued him during the campaign and prior,” referring to police investigations into alleged ballot-box stuffing during PC nominations, as well as the Highway 407 data breach that led to a candidate resigning.

Also on Thursday, Ontario’s information and privacy commissioner issued his annual report, in which he urged the legislature to give him the power to oversee political parties and how they collect and handle voters’ personal information.

Brian Beamish said “parties collect and use personal information to target individuals in specific and unique ways for political gain. Digital tools amass extensive amounts of personal information from diverse sources, frequently without the knowledge or consent of the individual. These increasingly sophisticated big data practices raise new privacy and ethical concerns and the need for greater transparency is evident.”

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

Read more about: