Tory Leader Tim Hudak has written a poison pen letter urging NDP Leader Andrea Horwath to stop propping up the scandal-plagued minority Liberal government.

Desperate to raise his own public profile, Hudak is turning up the pressure on the Horwath New Democrats, who have backed the Grits on all confidence matters — such as the budget — since the 2011 election, frustrating the Hudak Progressive Conservatives who desperately want an election.

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“I remain somewhat astounded, though, that you and your party don’t grasp that continuing to prop up the Wynne government by being at its beck and call is doing Ontario no favours,” Hudak stated in the letter drafted Sunday.

“The moral bankruptcy and corruptness of the Liberal Party of Ontario is now obvious to the majority of Ontarians. I am shocked that this is not as equally troubling to you as well,” he said.

By cooperating with the Liberals, the New Democrats have consistently won concessions, such as a 15 per cent reduction to auto insurance premiums in this year’s budget.

The timing of the letter may seem a bit odd since the Liberals can’t be brought down on a confidence vote until next spring’s budget. The real purpose could be to discredit Horwath, the most popular of the three leaders, and resurrect the litany of spending controversies dogging Premier Kathleen Wynne’s government.

“What do you find acceptable about the politically-motivated billion-dollar decision to cancel the gas plants in order to save two Liberal seats in the 2011 election? Does the NDP party share the belief of the Liberal party that it is OK to spend taxpayer dollars if it serves your own political interests?” Hudak asked.

“Ms. Horwath, I am very concerned that your priorities are not the priorities of Ontario families, but more in sync with those of the Liberal Party. It is one thing to talk about change, but it is quite another to stand up with a plan to deliver that change.”

NDP house leader Gilles Bisson said the letter reflects Hudak’s despair with being politically sidelined for more than two years.

“I think this guy is frustrated because he is starting to realize he’s not getting anywhere,” he told the Star. “He’s a frustrated little Tim Hudak.”

Bisson said the fact is that Ontario voters elected a minority parliament “and as politicians we need to respect that.”

“[I]t is our responsibility to work as hard as we can to deliver for people.”

Hudak, as he has many times, says his is the only party with a plan for the future, citing the 14 policy papers released over the past year, which include massive layoffs and wage freezes.

“Collectively, those papers represent a solid, doable plan to lift the dark economic cloud over Ontario and let in the light needed for economic growth. We even offered it to the Liberals, telling them to “steal” our plan if it would help them turn our economy around.”

The Liberals responded: “We won’t do what the PCs are advocating for — they’ll kill jobs and slash public services. The PC plan calls for firing 10,000 education workers, firing 2,000 health care workers, and driving down wages with harmful Alabama-style ‘right-to-work’ legislation.”

Hudak insists that things are so bad his party agreed to work with the Liberals to clear the deck of a number of outstanding pieces of proposed legislation.

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“Well, we cleared the decks as promised, yet the Premier reneged on her commitment to bring a plan and continues to confuse an actual economic plan with the striking of more panels — a staggering 36 panels in all so far — to discuss the possibility of one day coming up with a plan,” he stated.

Hudak told Horwath she has a choice.

“You can help us put Ontario on the right track, and the priorities of Ontario’s families first, or you can keep Ontario on the wrong track by making your priorities the priorities of the Liberal Party,” said the PC leader, who offered to sit down with Horwath “sooner rather than later.”

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