MPP Arnott holds Government to account for lost jobs

On June 22nd at Queen’s Park, Waterloo-Wellington MPP Ted Arnott reminded the Members of the Ontario Legislature that a major policy think-tank has concluded that Ontario ’s high tax policies are making the Province uncompetitive in the global economy. Mr. Arnott also commended the work of the PC Critic for Economic Development and Halton MPP, Ted Chudleigh.

The following is the text of the presentation he made in the House:

“Mr. Speaker, the Member for Halton, our Critic for Economic Development, made an important point in this House yesterday. Drawing attention to the dramatic loss of manufacturing jobs under the watch of the McGuinty Liberal Government, he has issued a wake up call that needs to be answered with action, not apathy.

On Tuesday, one of Canada ’s most respected independent economic think tanks, the C.D. Howe Institute, issued a damning report of the Provincial Government’s tax policies. Their policies are costing us jobs. In comparing the total capital tax burden on business, the C.D. Howe Institute found that Ontario ’s taxes will soon be the highest, not only in Canada , but the highest amongst 36 industrialized economies, excluding the People’s Republic of China .

One of the authors of the report, Jack Mintz, was quoted as saying: “Given Ontario ’s size and importance to the Canadian economy, the province’s lack of focus on tax competitiveness is of particular concern.”

Even the Chief Economist of the TD Bank, Don Drummond, who the Government usually counts on to defend its economic policies, said this in response to the report: “Their whole tax structure on corporations is biased against growth.”

More than a year ago now, I tabled a Resolution calling for the Finance Committee to develop a plan to create new jobs and protect the ones we have. Since the start of 2005, we have lost more than 75,000 good manufacturing jobs, including eleven hundred jobs at BF Goodrich in Kitchener , in Waterloo-Wellington.

The Minister of Finance should acknowledge the serious competitive challenges that Ontario ’s manufacturers face, that more jobs are at stake unless something is done, and announce that the C.D. Howe recommendations will be adopted by the Government.”

Mr. Arnott has raised these issues repeatedly since he tabled his Private Member’s Resolution on the subject of competitiveness and jobs on May 31st, 2005.