TORONTO – Ontario can again be the economic engine of Canada, but only if we act to reverse the erosion of our once-robust manufacturing sector, which has lost 300,000 jobs under the current government, PC Leader Tim Hudak said today.

“My Ontario will always create, build and sell products around the world, and I’ll put Ontario workers up against anyone,” Hudak said. “But our manufacturing advantages have been beaten down by high taxes, unaffordable energy costs and rigid labour laws.”

That’s got to change, Hudak said, if we are to capitalize on the forecast increase in consumer demand for goods and services as developing countries grow their economies.

“We have the right workforce for the increasingly complex manufacturing of the 21^st century – such as precision auto parts and prescription drugs – but we must get back in the game, or these opportunities will pass us by.”

Hudak’s Paths to Prosperity series, at www.ontariopc.com, proposes bold ideas to boost Ontario’s attractiveness for manufacturing to help build our middle class.

“The Liberals running for Premier and the NDP are fuelling our jobs crisis with their old-school mentality that says manufacturing is a thing of the past,” Hudak said. “This approach has driven good jobs away and tells would-be investors to take a pass.

“It’s time for a new path – to position Ontario as a magnet for modern manufacturing and the jobs, prosperity and opportunity that will come with them.”