updatedHudak talks up PC education plan

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Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak reaffirmed a commitment to increase education spending by $2 billion annually over four years and called Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty out of touch with parents.

Hudak made the comments at a campaign event Tuesday morning on the first day of school for thousands of Ontario children at the home of the Vohra-Bangis, a family who live in Scarborough in east Toronto. In addition to the commitment to spend billions more on education, Hudak also mentioned more modest initiatives he said make a difference in the classroom.

Hudak said a PC government would bring back the fall report card eliminated in October 2009 by the McGuinty government, and would give teachers greater freedom to do things like banning cellphones.

But the talk in the media scrum quickly turned to McGuinty's pledged tax break to help skilled new immigrants get jobs. Hudak maintained it's an unfair advantage for "foreign workers."

Hudak's comments come one day after the Liberals unveiled their ambitious plan for university tuition cuts.

NDP targeting Toronto

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath started her day campaigning with high-profile candidate Cathy Crowe in the Toronto Centre riding in the city's downtown.

Horwath is also conducting on for a couple of photo-ops in Mississauga.

She'll finish the day back door-knocking with candidate Jonah Schein, who hopes to wrest the Davenport riding in Toronto away from the Liberals.

The incumbent, Tony Ruprecht, isn't running, and Christina Martins is carrying the Liberal banner in that riding. Kirk Russell is the PC candidate.

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