QUEEN’S PARK: Ontario has a traditional role as Canada’s economic leader of growth and job creation. That wasn’t given to us – we earned it, PC Leader Tim Hudak said following the release of Paths to Prosperity: An Agenda for Growth.

“Men and women built this province through hard work, an entrepreneurial spirit and decades of government that spent within its means,” Hudak said. “But in the last few years, Ontario has lost its way,” Hudak added.

With 600,000 unemployed Ontarians, it’s going to take transformative change and bold action to put people back to work. The current government’s plan has failed resulting in a record of soaring power rates, increased taxes, a costly and time-consuming regulatory burden, and overspending that has the province careening toward a $30-billion deficit.

Deputy Leader and PC Job Creation Task Force Chair, Christine Elliott, said “Dalton McGuinty doesn’t see how his own policies have thrown up barriers on what should be a clear path toward economic recovery, job creation and prosperity.”

Hudak said it’s expected that Ontario’s economy would face headwinds like a slow recovery in the United States and a strong Canadian dollar, but a strong dollar has been a fact of life since 2007. “While the rest of Canada is moving forward and rebuilding from the economic storm, Ontario’s submerged underwater.

“Despite this, I know Ontario will once again lead Canada in job creation. But to get there, government must take responsibility for its actions, step up to the plate and do its own job better,” Hudak added. An Agenda for Growth – the fourth in a series of PC white papers – proposes a very different approach of smaller, more focused government and a level playing field for all to succeed through lower taxes, freer trade and less government interference.

The Jobs Creation Task Force reached out to businesses, individuals, economists, think thanks and industry associations to hear their best ideas. An Agenda for Growth features 15 bold proposals to grow the economy. Specifically: making tough choices and taking urgent action to balance the budget; tax cuts to create jobs and attract investments; ending the runaround of regulations facing business owners; and breaking traffic gridlock in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Hudak concluded “if we tackle our challenges with the full force of our abilities and ingenuity, Ontario can be the best place in the world to find a good job, work and secure a strong and growing middle class.”

To read An Agenda for Growth and to share your own ideas to create jobs and turn the economy around, visit: www.ontariopc.com/paths-to-prosperity.