Wynne takes another run at Stephen Harper

By Maria Babbage, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA - Only Ontario's Liberals can stand up to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is ignoring the people of Canada's most populous province, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Thursday.

Wynne took another swipe at Harper while campaigning for the June 12 election just a short distance from Parliament Hill, repeating her long-standing complaint that Ontario puts $11 billion more into federal coffers than it gets back.

Speaking at an event organized by the Canada 2020 think-tank, the Liberal leader said that the prime minister's tone-deaf attitude is jeopardizing Ontario's fragile economic recovery.

"Right now, we have a federal government that actually is doing more to hurt that recovery than to help," Wynne said.

"This year Ontario is going to receive $641 million less in major transfers from the federal government, and this is at a time when we can least afford the hit."

Harper has also been silent on her challenge to match their promise to provide $1 billion to build a transportation route to the mineral-rich Ring of Fire development in northern Ontario, she said.

Wynne's jabs at Harper have been a common refrain on the first leg of the campaign, but date back to her rallying cry during a March 22 party convention where she called his antipathy towards pension reform "offensive and inexplicable."

Ontario's Progressive Conservatives said it's a common tactic for the Liberals to attack the federal government when they're in trouble.

Wynne lost over 300,000 manufacturing jobs, running up a $12.5-billion deficit and the $289.3-billion debt, increasing spending and taxes, said Tory Lisa MacLeod.

"Of course she doesn't want to talk about her record, it's abysmal," she said. "So she wants to pick a fight with the feds. It's what every government in trouble does."

Wynne also took aim at her Tory rival Tim Hudak, saying he won't stand up to the Harper Conservatives if he becomes premier.

"They're playing on the same team," she said. "They are taking the same positions on these issues of real importance to the people of Ontario."