RUSSELL – Better days are ahead for Russell, Cornwall and communities across Eastern Ontario, but only if we get our fiscal house in order and our economic fundamentals back in line, Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak said today.

Hudak made the comments during a For Jobs and Our Economy Town Hall, calling for frank discussion about Ontario’s economic troubles like the ongoing jobs crisis. Currently 46,000 men and women are out of work in the area Ottawa Region. What’s more, the province has lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs, while the public sector has gained the same number. In May, Spartech Plastics in nearby Cornwall announced it would be closing, resulting in jobs losses for nearly 50 employees

The fact is, Ontario is in a jam, Hudak said. “The money has run out. It’s time to talk to people like adults about our situation. We need policies that will kick-start growth and create good, paying, private-sector jobs.”

The number one thing we can do for job creation is get our fiscal house in order, Hudak continued: “That will tell businesses, manufacturers and global investors that Ontario can afford the things they need to invest, expand and achieve success, like lower taxes and better infrastructure.”

Nepean-Carleton MPP Lisa MacLeod also attended, saying “The Liberals’ managerial incompetence is taking a hard toll on local residents. Their lack of ideas is why we need Tim Hudak’s integrated, comprehensive plan that gets the economic fundamentals right and puts us on a path toward balanced budgets, a more dynamic economy and job creation.”

The Ontario PC Caucus have tabled a number of ideas to achieve this including: affordable energy, tax relief, changing the attitude of government by welcoming job creators – not deterring them with regulations and red tape – and a bold revision of this province’s 1940s era labour laws that hamper Ontario’s ability to compete, as proposed in their Paths to Prosperity Flexible Labour Markets white paper. Other ideas include:

  • Reining in spending with a mandatory public sector wage freeze and allowing businesses and private sector unions to compete for government contracts;
  • Reducing the cost of doing business by lowering taxes and treating affordable energy as a cornerstone of economic growth; and
  • Creating 200,000 skilled-trade jobs by allowing employers to take on additional apprentices. This means more electricians, ironworkers and carpenters.

Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MPP Jim McDonell said “Ontario also has unrivalled competitive advantages like a skilled workforce, close proximity to international markets, proud family farms and a renowned agricultural sector – a staple of rural communities throughout Eastern Ontario.”

Leeds-Greenville MPP Steve Clark and Carleton-Mississippi Mills MPP Jack MacLaren were also in attendance. Hudak concluded “this is my plan for jobs, growth and a more prosperous future. And today in Russell, and across Ontario, I want to hear what the people who actually pay the bills and create the jobs think about these ideas.”