What Premier Dalton McGuinty to look for new solutions to manufacturing unemployment crisis
Jul 31, 2008 - 04:30 AM
By Christine Elliott, Jerry Ouellette and John O'Toole
While the rest of Canada is staying afloat in the face of economic challenges, Ontario is floundering -- people are losing jobs, families are losing paycheques and communities are losing hope.
Last month, the rest of Canada created 6,000 full-time jobs while Ontario lost more than 45,000. Ontario's economy actually shrank in the first quarter of this year; this is the only province where this happened. Every week, hundreds of Ontarians lose their jobs, leaving families and communities devastated.
We have already lost nearly 4,000 jobs at GM alone and for every job lost in auto assembly, it is estimated that seven jobs in parts and manufacturing are lost as well. This information does not even include peripheral jobs and businesses to be affected as a result of increased unemployment in our region. We have seen Ontario's economic devastation firsthand; we have spoken to those affected by job losses and heard their stories of disappointment and frustration. We too are frustrated.
Meanwhile, the McGuinty Liberals are telling Ontarians that their "plan is working," which further proves that this government is more about rhetoric than results.
The Ontario PC Party has urged the Liberals to hold an economic summit within the next few weeks. This summit should include leaders from the business, labour and academic communities, as well as the federal and municipal governments.
This is the time to put our heads together and develop a plan to revive Ontario. We need to preserve jobs during these tough times. We need a more competitive economy that will sustain the province into the future. We need leadership.
The first step in this plan would be a new economic statement from the government, providing Ontarians with an accurate, up-to-date picture of the province's finances. The financial statements released months ago in the budget are based on outdated numbers. You cannot make the right decision based on the wrong facts.
As our province struggles, it is hard not to be nostalgic for a time when Ontario was Canada's leader, the province where opportunities abound. We believe we can have that back again.
Beneath the economic mismanagement, Ontario is a province with much to offer. It is this potential that makes an economic summit vital. We are proud to live here and we know that with strong leadership, Ontario can get back on top -- where we should be.
The Ontario PC Party is willing and anxious to be a part of a positive, collaborative process that moves Ontario forward, starting with the economic summit. We think that is what Ontarians expect and deserve from their leaders.
The current path has led Ontario to shrink, not grow. It has led Ontario to push jobs away rather than welcome them in.
Dalton McGuinty must now show whether or not he is capable of leading Ontario forward.
The authors are all members of the Ontario Progressive Conservative caucus. Christine Elliott is MPP for Whitby-Oshawa, Jerry Ouellette is MPP for Oshawa and John O'Toole is MPP for Durham riding.
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