After 13 years in power, life’s harder under the Liberals.

Stung by an embarrassing byelection defeat in Scarborough–Rouge River, a riding that has been Liberal-held for its entire existence, Premier Kathleen Wynne is desperate.

She’s desperate to change the narrative of waste, scandal and mismanagement.

That’s why the premier has decided to prorogue the legislature.

Prorogation or not, this is the same Liberal government that has faced five OPP investigations.

This is the same Liberal government that has slashed health care services while simultaneously driving our provincial debt up to more than $300 billion and growing.

This is the same Liberal government that is out of touch with the challenges everyday Ontario families face.

Every failed policy decision the Wynne Liberals have made over the past 13 years has made life harder and more unaffordable for Ontarians. Most critically, Ontarians are tired of paying the highest electricity rates in North America, and no speech on Monday is going to change that. Families and seniors will continue to struggle to pay their bills each month.

After months denying that an energy crisis exists, the premier is suddenly claiming to be serious about tackling this crisis — a crisis of her own government’s creation.

This should come as no surprise. This is the same Liberal government that is proceeding with the fire sale of Hydro One despite the experts saying it’s a bad deal for Ontarians. This is the same Liberal government that pays Hydro One’s CEO $4 million, while average families struggle to make ends meet.

This is the same Liberal government that is signing costly energy contracts while we continue to sell surplus electricity at a loss.

As a result, the average family’s annual hydro costs have increased by more than $1,000 since the Liberal government first took office, and more and more families and seniors are being driven into energy poverty.

If Premier Wynne is serious about addressing this issue, the Liberal government would immediately halt further sale of Hydro One shares and stop signing energy contracts for energy we don’t even need.

That is why when the Liberal government asked us what private member’s bills we’d like to carry over after prorogation, we said we’d let them choose on one condition: That they stop the reckless fire sale of Hydro One.

We won’t hold our breath but you never know. Maybe this prorogation will actually result in some positive changes from the Liberal government. Maybe they’ll finally take action to address the hydro crisis. I’ll be the first to welcome them.

But I promise you this: When the House returns on Monday, the Ontario PC Caucus will be there to hold the government to account and ensure they have a credible plan to address the energy crisis. We will continue to fight for affordability and responsible spending of taxpayer dollars.

Patrick Brown is the leader of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party and MPP for Simcoe North