MPP Arnott’s jobs resolution to be debated in Legislature on November 30th

Responding to the continuing loss of factory jobs in Ontario, MPP Ted Arnott is renewing his call for an immediate public review and discussion of the economic challenges faced by the Province.

His Private Member’s Resolution, to be debated and voted upon by MPPs on November 30th, would direct the Legislature’s all-party Finance Committee to commence this study of Ontario’s economic competitiveness in the manufacturing sector.

“This issue is more urgent today than when I first introduced the resolution in May of 2005, some 18 months ago,” Mr. Arnott said. “While the numbers change from month to month, there is no disputing that we have lost many thousands of manufacturing jobs in the last year and a half. The most recent Statistics Canada report says that the number of manufacturing jobs continued its downward trend last month. So far in 2006, there are 83,000 fewer factory workers across Canada. Ontario has been particularly hard hit,” he added.

Back in May of 2005, Mr. Arnott attended two meetings hosted by the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, and came away convinced that Ontario’s manufacturers were facing a pending crisis.

“On that day, we heard from the President and CEO of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Perrin Beatty,” Mr. Arnott said. “Based on his presentation it became clear to me that without immediate Government action, massive job losses in our factories and industries were on the horizon.”

After it was tabled in the Ontario Legislature, Mr. Arnott’s resolution received written support from: the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Canada’s Chemical Producers, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, the CD Howe Institute, the Employers’ Advocacy Council, and the Ontario Real Estate Association.

“On December 8th, 2005, our Party introduced another motion calling upon the Government to bring forward a jobs plan. That motion was passed by the Legislature and yet the Government has done nothing meaningful in response, even as many thousands of jobs continue to be lost,” stated Mr. Arnott.

Last week, workers at Lear Canada in Kitchener learned that 111 jobs would soon be eliminated. This comes on the heels of 700 lost jobs at ThyssenKrupp Budd Canada and 1,100 lost jobs at BF Goodrich in recent months. All of these plants are located in the City of Kitchener portion of Mr. Arnott’s Riding of Waterloo-Wellington. Other recent area factory closures include Imperial Tobacco in Guelph, Glenoit in Elmira, La-Z-Boy in Waterloo, totalling many hundreds of jobs.

“Ontario’s Institute on Competitiveness and Prosperity, headed up by Roger Martin has repeatedly insisted that the Government must pay more attention to our economic challenges. We can’t stand still while thousands of jobs are being lost and our efforts to attract new industries are falling short,” Mr. Arnott said. “This is why my resolution is needed.”

Mr. Arnott’s resolution, first tabled in the Ontario Legislature on May 31st, 2005 states: that, in the opinion of this House, the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs should immediately begin an investigation into Ontario's industrial and economic competitiveness, to develop an action plan to maintain and expand our domestic and international markets in the coming years.