Doug Ford is trying to pull a fast one on Ontarians by stalling the release of a Progressive Conservative platform for the June 7 election, warns NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

In a shot against her main rival, Horwath on Tuesday lambasted Ford for failing to unveil a campaign manifesto.

“Not only is it shameful that they haven’t put a platform out, but it’s insulting to voters,” the NDP leader said in Toronto.

“Folks are already voting in the advance polls. There’s nine days left till Election Day,” she said.

“Mr. Ford, somebody who talks a great game around respecting the taxpayer, is really being very disrespectful to voters.”

The rookie PC leader has repeatedly promised to reveal a “fully costed platform,” but Conservative sources told the Star that nothing has yet been set in stone.

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Horwath noted “there’s no way Mr. Ford, as a businessperson, would sign a contract without the numbers filled in.”

Later, in Brantford, where the New Democrats expect to win a former Liberal seat that is a top pick-up target for the Conservatives, she revved up the rhetoric.

“Mr. Ford is basically telling people to just trust him because he’s not putting out a platform,” said Horwath.

“But we know what Mr. Ford has in mind. We know that he’s going to cut $6 billion minimum from our public services. What’s that going to do to the hospital in your community? What’s that going to do to the schools that your kids go to?”

Her comments came as she touted an NDP campaign pledge from her party’s 97-page platform to increase vacation entitlements for full-time workers to three weeks a year from the current two.

That would affect employees after one year at the same job.

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But Horwath was forced to defend another embattled NDP candidate, Gurratan Singh, younger brother of federal New Democratic Leader Jagmeet Singh.

When Singh, who is running in Brampton East, was 21 years old, he brandished a “F-- The Police” sign at a 2006 protest.

“That’s an abhorrent sign. That’s a sign that’s despicable. I believe that it’s a despicable sentiment and Gurratan has said so as well,” said Horwath.

“He’s very regretful that he held that sign a number of years ago, but, look, Gurratan has changed his life around since his early 20s when he was holding that sign,” she said.

“He, in fact, then went to law school and now actually upholds the law and the justice system, as opposed to rally(ing) against it. Gurratan Singh is a fellow who turned his life around. He’s certainly not someone of those opinions any more.”

Singh has apologized for the image, which first appeared in the Toronto Sun.

In Burlington, Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne called the photo “very disturbing.”

Given the spate of revelations about various candidates and things they have said in the past, Wynne said party leaders must do a better job of vetting candidates.

“In an election campaign it is up to each party and each party leader to ensure that that the people on his or her team are people who share a value system, are people who are prepared to uphold the rule of law, who are prepared to act in the best interests of the people of the province,” she said.

“This is an issue of scrutiny that is being applied to a party that has not been in contention for government for many, many, many years, and that scrutiny must be applied. That scrutiny is applied to my team and always has been.”

With files from Rob Ferguson

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