Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak had a whirlwind tour of the northern part of the county on Tuesday, touring a factory and holding a closed meeting with mayors from several municipalities.
Hudak also hosted an early morning breakfast in Stratford and visited the Wellington Advertiser office in Fergus later in the afternoon.
He said the meeting with local mayors was closed to the media to allow “a frank discussion.”
Hudak, who has been criticized by some for being harsh on labour and in particular unions, focussed on job creation and apprenticeship programs throughout the day.
“We need to take a different approach,” Hudak told employees at Quality Homes in Kenilworth. “Like the middle class jobs they have here.”
The leader said his party has policies designed to get 200,000 workers through apprenticeship programs and into skilled positions.
The government has to work more with colleges to increase classroom space for skilled trades, he said.
“These are good jobs, steady jobs and we have a shortage today,” he added.
According to Hudak, only one in four students who enrol in skilled trades at colleges finish their education and Ontario has also seen an outflow of skilled workers going to western provinces.
Hudak also wants greater flexibility in the number of apprentices a company can take in, based on the number of skilled workers available to train them in-house. He said currently three to five journeymen are needed to train one apprentice; a system that should be relaxed.
The leader is also calling for more modern labour laws and regulations to “bring them into the 21st century.”
He wants a greater “balance” of power between labour leaders, their members and employers. Hudak points to portions of certain union dues going to support student tuition protests in Quebec, a scenario he believes should be prevented.
The leader also wants the government deficit, estimated at some $30 billion, slashed by more fiscally responsible government spending.
“Better days are ahead for Ontario, but only if we get our fiscal house in order and our economic fundamentals back in line,” he said.
Hudak made the comments during a “for jobs and our economy” town hall meeting in Stratford, while calling for frank discussion on Ontario’s economic troubles like the ongoing jobs crisis.
“Ontario’s unemployment rate has been above the national average for 66 months. What’s more, the province has lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs, while the public sector has gained the same number.
“Nearly a year ago, one of Stratford’s oldest manufacturers – Honeywell’s FRAM, which made automotive filters – announced it would close its doors for the last time. More than 300 people lost their jobs.”
“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.”
At Quality Homes he noted, “The number one thing we can do for job creation is get our fiscal house in order. 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.”
He likened Ontario’s current financial state to Greece, a country on the threshold of bankruptcy that could cripple world economies.
“We must take urgent action to rein in this government’s overspending,” Hudak said. “This calls for an 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.”
Hudak was joined by Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece, who said “with the right climate for private-sector job creation, Ontario will once again become an economic engine. We need those jobs here in Stratford and in all of our communities across Perth-Wellington.”
Hudak also took aim at the Liberal government’s stand on wind turbine development. The province has been accused of forcing turbine development in rural areas without local consultation.
Hudak said local municipalities should have a great say on whether – and where – wind turbines should go up within their boundaries. He said local councils can determine whether an ice cream vendor sets up shop in their municipality, but don’t have the same say for large scale turbine developments.
Hudak, whose party has been calling for a moratorium on turbine projects for some time, welcomed the federal government’s decision to conduct a study on the possible health effects of living near turbines.
In discussions with the mayors earlier in the day in Mount Forest, Hudak said the split between rural and urban residents was a major issue raised. As was the provincial government’s decision to stop funding the equine industry by cutting the 10 percent allocation of casino profits to the industry, which has been in place for several years.
“The one-size-fits-all [approach] is punishing small town Ontario,” Hudak said, referring to turbine development and the casino decisions.
“I’m worried about the growing urban-rural divide … We need to change the attitude of government to be pro jobs and pro growth.”
Hudak asked questions of executive vice-president Howard Sher, who conducted the Quality Homes tour, particularly about government or local regulations that might be impacting the home builder.
Sher said the company, which builds about 200 homes annually and employs about 120 people, has found difficulties with regulations “bottoming out.” Quality Homes is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Premier Dalton McGuinty was also in the area on Tueday, touring Guelph. Members of his party were clearly aware the Conservatives were in the area, as the Liberal party sent out several press releases criticizing Hudak and the local MPP.
“Randy Pettapiece and Tim Hudak abandoned Kenilworth families by opposing every measure to balance the budget, create jobs, and invest in local families,” Liberal MPP Brad Duguid said in a press release.
Before heading back to Toronto, Hudak stopped in at the Wellington Advertiser for about an hour. He visited and talked with staff and had a tour of the Fergus office.
