It's time to talk about the elephant in the room. You know what I mean: The No. 1 reason voters are uncomfortable casting their ballot for Tim Hudak and the Progressive Conservative Party in the next Ontario election.

I'm talking about Hudak's disdain for union bosses and his plan to bring in right-to-work legislation if elected.

There's been a lot of rhetoric, half-truths, mythmaking and out-and-out lies when it comes to what the PC leader is proposing — much of it coming from those who have the most to lose if Hudak becomes premier and his party forms the government. That's to be expected.

What's been missing from the debate so far, however, is a clear-headed analysis of why such drastic measures are necessary — especially if we plan on getting out of this economic "funk" we find ourselves in, and genuinely want to turn Ontario, once again, into a "have" province instead of a "have not" one.

Future generations will be stuck paying for the mistakes and indulgences of past generations. We are almost out of time and very nearly out of hope.

Before I present my case, though, I think it's important you know where I'm coming from.

First of all, I'm not anti-union. In fact, I like unions and have done work for a number of them over the years. To wit: I've run job actions for several police associations in Ontario; I've acted as a consultant for the Christian Labour Association of Canada; and am currently working with the newly-formed DoctorsOntario — an organization created to protect the rights and freedoms of physicians, as well as safeguard the welfare and well-being of their patients.

In addition to all this, I happen to think Buzz Hargrove — former president of the Canada Auto Workers — is one of the finest people I've ever met, and consider him a friend and mentor. Even if we don't agree on the need for a parallel private health care system — I'm for it; Buzz is against — or whether or not the Rand Formula should be abolished here in Ontario.

Buzz and other union bosses, not surprisingly, are in favour of keeping the Rand Formula intact. I, on the other hand, think it's high time we did away with it. So does Tim Hudak.

And therein lies the problem.

For those who don't belong to a union, or know someone who belongs to one, the Rand Formula requires that anyone who works in a unionized shop must pay union dues — even if they choose not to be a member. The actual law hearkens back to a decision in 1946 by Justice Ivan Rand, which formed a part of the arbitration settlement that ended a United Auto Workers' strike at the Ford plant in Windsor.

The concept is a simple one: If you're going to be the beneficiary of your union's efforts at the bargaining table, then you should be willing to pay your fair share of the freight. It was felt by Justice Rand that having this formula in place would prevent "free-riders" — those who reap the rewards without paying for them. Fair enough.

But what made sense in 1946 doesn't necessarily make sense in 2014.

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to most of you that Ontario is no longer "the engine that drives Canada's economy". Each month sees more plant closures and more workers — many of them unionized — thrown to the curb. Our manufacturing sector is being decimated. The dream of owning a home has become nothing but a fantasy. Future generations will be stuck paying for the mistakes and indulgences of past generations. We are almost out of time and very nearly out of hope.

By bringing an end to mandatory union membership and forced paycheque contributions, moving from a system of closed to open tendering when it comes to bidding for government contracts, and removing artificial restrictions on the number of apprenticeship positions available for our youth in the skilled trades, the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party believes Ontario's economy can compete with any jurisdiction on this planet if given a chance.

Tough times call for tough measures.

Unfortunately, the McWynnety Liberals haven't the intelligence or imagination to figure out how to get out of the mess they've created. Not surprising really for a party led by someone who doesn't even know that you're supposed to run or walk facing traffic when there are no sidewalks, as evidenced by the Liberals latest ad.

As for Andrea Horwath and her New Democratic Party — don't even get me started on them. The answer, according to the NDP, is "blowin' in the wind." Now, if only they could figure out which way the wind is blowing before the next election and tell us where they stand on the issues. That would be truly refreshing.

Tim Hudak is right about right-to-work. By standing up to union bosses and going to bat for workers, the PC Leader is providing us with hard evidence that he — unlike other politicians — actually has the courage of his convictions.

Right-to-work a reason not to vote Progressive Conservative?

Au contraire, my friend.