Doug Ford heads into first caucus meeting unsure if a PC government would run a deficit
(The Star Fashion & Style)

PC Leader Doug Ford gave conflicting answers on whether he’d run a deficit if elected premier June 7 but pledged to put his family printing business into a trust as required by law.Emerging from his first caucus meeting with Progressive Conservative MPPs on Tuesday — all but two of whom opposed his leadership bid — the former city councillor from Etobicoke said “we’ll have a better answer in a week or so� on his fiscal plans for Ontario and a platform for the spring election.Ford said the meeting was “great� but didn’t reveal any details.“I’m the type of guy, I can play a game of hockey, get in a little scuffle and then go out and have dinner with the person and drive him home. We’re a team. We can’t wait to take on (Premier) Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals.�The PC campaign manager will be Kory Teneycke, a former communications director to prime minister Stephen Harper who went on to become a vice-president at the now defunct Sun News Network and later an executive at Quebecor.Although he was critical of Wynne’s throne speech plan to run as much as an $8-billion deficit to expand pharmacare to seniors and fund more dental care in next Wednesday’s pre-election budget, Ford appeared unclear on whether a PC blueprint would contain red ink.“It’s going to be balanced. We’re going to make sure we work on every single nickel to make sure it’s justified,� he told reporters in a brief scrum on his way into the two-hour meeting.Asked later about a possible deficit, Ford replied: “Let’s take a look at it. I want to discuss that with our caucus.�But Ford insisted he can “very easily� cut provincial spending and make promises, which, so far, have included lowering hospital wait times and electricity rates while finding about $6 billion in “efficiencies� he has not identified.“There’s a lot of ineff ...