A New Democrat government would hire 4,500 nurses in its first year to improve patient care in hospitals, party leader Andrea Horwath said Thursday.“The system is breaking,” she told a roundtable discussion with health-care workers in Regent Park.An increase in nurses is “a big piece of the puzzle” in making the health system run more smoothly, she added.The $1.2-billion promise, which includes 2,000 new hospital beds to help remedy “hallway medicine,” is not detailed in the NDP’s platform book but is part of health-care spending earmarked in the campaign blueprint, officials said.Horwath, who is running neck-and-neck with Progressive Conservative boss Doug Ford for the lead in public opinion polls on the June 7 election, said she would also put a moratorium on layoffs of front-line health-care workers.“Wait times have ballooned and hospitals are packed beyond capacity.”Read more:Ontario election campaign brings focus on nearly 2 million people living in povertyOpinion | Editorial: Ontario NDP faces tougher questions as it gets closer to powerHorwath and Wynne trade shots over labour policyAlthough Ford has said he will not cut Ontario’s health budget, Horwath said she doesn’t believe that given he is promising $6 billion in cuts to overall government spending. About 1,600 nurses have been laid off from hospitals under the Liberal government since 2015, Horwath said.Shortly before the election campaign began, Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne announced an $800-million cash infusion for hospitals as premier. She also has promised to hire 3,500 more nurses.Wynne is trailing in third place in the polls with 14 days until the vote.In Regent Park, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she is shocked at how the allegations about Ford and suspicious PC nominations are piling up.“It’s a stinking mess,” she told reporters.“There are too many questions and the questions seem to grow every day,& ...
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