Ontario's increasing reliance on private contractors for its information technology services came under attack by the opposition and public-sector unions on Monday.

During question period, NDP finance critic Catherine Fife called into question the government's decision to contract out $703 million – or 58 per cent – of the government's 2013-14 fiscal IT budget despite evidence it would be cheaper in-house.

"Why is the government expanding its use of private-sector consultants when a 2012 consultants’ report commissioned by the Ministry of Government Services found that the several key IT services cost two to three times more when provided by the private sector?" Fife asked Finance Minister Charles Sousa.

Sousa responded by saying that the government was investing in a number of areas to ensure they were "procuring appropriately."

She countered by saying that outsourcing work to private contractors wasn't cost-effective, something she said the government should have learned from its handling of the much-maligned eHealth Ontario scandal a few years ago.

After question period, OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas and AMAPCEO president Gary Gannage hosted a luncheon at Queen's Park to lobby against the Liberals' privatization plans.

"We believe in repatriating IT work," said Gannage, saying it was important to preserving the quality and future of the Ontario Public Service, as well being cost-effective.

Gannage represents managers and other professional employees of the public service.

Fife wasn't the only member of the opposition to express doubt over the Liberal's long-term IT infrastructure plans.

Conservative finance critic Vic Fedeli said he was interested in sitting down with both unions to discuss the proposed IT streamlining in government.

Fedeli was particularly interested in discussing Premier Kathleen Wynne's plan to close 22 of the province's data centres by 2016 – which would shift government services such as OSAP, social assistance and drivers' licence renewals – from provincial brick-and-mortar offices to private cloud computing-based IT companies.

Monday's luncheon was part of a larger campaign by OPSEU against privatization of public services, including medical labs and LCBO stores.

The union has pressed the government to reverse privatization and has severely criticized the public-private partnerships used by the ruling Liberals to build everything from transit and hospitals to schools and other infrastructure.

Opposition, unions criticize Liberal outsourcing of IT services

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