Analysis of Provincial ‘Budget’ from Sussex Strategy Group

April 29, 2022

Yesterday the Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario’s Minister of Finance, delivered what is billed as Ontario’s 2022-2023 Budget, although it will not be passed into law at this time due to the Writ for the provincial election set to be issued next Wednesday, May 4.

As I have done in the past, I am forwarding to you an analysis from one of my clients, Sussex Strategy Group. As they note in their preamble to the analysis, while the plan presented is not technically the Budget, “it is an important document for the future of Ontario and should be carefully reviewed by those with an interest in the Ontario government or Ontario politics.”

Sussex is an experienced and highly respected government relations firm that offers strategic and consulting services. I find their reports and analyses informative and insightful, and I hope you will also. They have kindly agreed to let me provide this to you.As always, please contact me with any employment questions you may have or for assistance working through your staffing matters.

Ontario Budget 2022 Analysis:
The Campaign (Un)Officially Begins

Question: When is an Ontario Budget not a Budget?

Answer: When, for all intents and purposes, it acts as an election platform and unofficially launches an election campaign.

This afternoon the Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario’s Minister of Finance, delivered what is billed as Ontario’s 2022-2023 Budget; but in reality, it serves as the basis of the Ontario PC Party’s campaign platform. Titled “Ontario’s Plan to Build”, the 241-page document is broken down into five sections (excluding the fiscally-focused chapters):

  • Rebuilding Ontario’s Economy
  • Working for Workers
  • Building Highways and Key Infrastructure
  • Keeping Costs Down
  • A Plan to Stay Open

This Budget also will not be passed into law…at least not at this time.

With the writ set to be issued next Wednesday (May 4), officially launching the election campaign, there simply is not sufficient time for the legislation implementing this Budget to go through the requisite hours of debate and Legislative Committee hearings for it to pass Third Reading and receive Royal Assent prior to the election.

To be clear, today’s Budget is an important document for the future of Ontario and should be carefully reviewed by those with an interest in the Ontario government or Ontario politics. The main debates about this Budget will take place on the campaign trail. And with current polls showing a strong likelihood that the PC Party will return to power on June 2, today’s Budget – or something modelled on this document (see more about this below) – is likely to be passed at some point.

Click here »» to view or download the complete Sussex Strategy Group analysis