FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
26 May 2026
OTTAWA, ON — After nearly eight years in office, Premier Doug Ford continues to treat Ottawa like an afterthought, forcing the nation’s capital and Ontario’s second-largest city to pay more while receiving less.
Today, the Ontario Liberal Party’s Ottawa Caucus is calling on the Ford government to reverse its ongoing neglect of Ottawa on critical issues such as healthcare, transportation, infrastructure, and economic investment.
From the continued delay of a desperately needed new hospital campus, to refusing to upload Highway 174, to breaking a campaign promise to upload Ottawa’s LRT system, and now prioritizing Toronto over Ottawa for the new Defence Bank, the message from Queen’s Park is clear: Ottawa taxpayers are expected to foot the bill without receiving its fair share.
The Ontario Liberal Party’s Ottawa Caucus is calling on the Ford government to:
- Commit immediately to the timely construction of Ottawa’s new hospital campus
- Upload and fully fund Highway 174 as a provincial highway
- Honour its campaign promise to upload Ottawa’s LRT system and provide stable, long-term transit funding
- Reverse course and ensure Ottawa receives fair consideration for major economic institutions such as the Defence Bank
Ontario Liberals are the only party standing up to ensure Ottawa gets its fair share.
Quotes:
Ottawa families are tired of being treated like an afterthought by Doug Ford. We pay into this province, we help to drive its economy, and yet year after year this government delivers broken promises, delayed projects, and crumbs for our city. Ottawa deserves a government that fights for us instead of ignoring us.
— John Fraser, Interim Ontario Party Leaders and MPP for Ottawa South
Doug Ford promised to upload Ottawa’s LRT, but this commitment has not seen the light of day. Reliable transit is critical to our economy and quality of life, but this government keeps sticking Ottawa taxpayers with the bill for other transit projects across the province.
— Lucille Collard, MPP for Ottawa—Vanier
For eight years, Doug Ford has treated Ottawa like an ATM for the rest of Ontario. Ottawa taxpayers help fund infrastructure and services across the province while our own priorities are ignored. And where is Stephane Sarazin on Highway 174? Ottawa East residents deserve answers, not silence.
— Stephen Blais, MPP for Orléans
Prioritizing Toronto over Ottawa for the Defence Bank sends a clear message: this government does not see Ottawa as a priority. That decision ignores the thousands of workers, innovators, and defence leaders who make Ottawa central to Canada’s security and economic future.
— Karen McCrimmon, MPP for Kanata—Carleton
Doug Ford has spent eight years underfunding Ottawa healthcare while patients wait longer and frontline workers burn out. Delaying a new hospital isn’t just bad planning — it’s forcing families and healthcare staff to pay the price for this government’s neglect.
— Tyler Watt, MPP for Nepean