- NDP MPP Peter Kormos says the crisis in Ontario’s manufacturing sector is spreading to the rest of the Ontario economy with the release of Statistics Canada's latest Labour Force Survey showing the province lost 45,000 full-time jobs in June.

“When you combine the dismal Ontario numbers in the June jobs report with the fact that the Ontario economy declined 1.3% (annualized) in the first quarter, it’s clear that Ontario is in a recession and the McGuinty government is nowhere to be seen. Workers and their families are looking to their elected representatives for leadership and assistance. Instead, as hard-working Ontarians see their jobs eliminated, their cost of living increase and their pensions disappear, Dalton McGuinty continues to reject NDP proposals that would protect jobs and assist laid-off workers,” said Kormos.

Kormos called on the McGuinty Liberals to support the NDP’s jobs stimulus plan, which calls for the creation of an Ontario manufacturing investment tax credit, the restart of a “Buy Ontario” program and an industrial hydro rate. Kormos also called on the government to protect laid-off workers by passing NDP bills that would guarantee workers get the severance owed to them as well as expand severance eligibility in mass layoff situations.

“Under the McGuinty Liberals, Ontario has lost over 210,000 manufacturing jobs. That’s 20 per cent of all manufacturing jobs and that alone has taken $6.8-billion in wages out of Ontario’s economy,” said Kormos.

OFL President Wayne Samuelson echoed Kormos’ call for the passage of NDP bills protecting laid-off workers.

“We have an absolutely tragic situation going on right now at Progressive Moulded Products Ltd. where many of the 2,000 recently laid-off workers are being denied their severance pay. If the NDP bills job protection bills hadn’t been blocked by the Mcguinty government, those workers would have been guaranteed the severance pay rightfully owed to them,” said Samuelson.