NDP Economic Development Critic Paul Miller today condemned the McGuinty government – especially Economic Development and Trade Minister Sandra Pupatello – for failing the province’s autoworkers.

“The McGuinty government’s auto strategy is in tatters. Earlier this week it was Ford announcing that there wouldn’t be a third Oakville shift, today it’s Chrysler cutting jobs. Dalton McGuinty and Sandra Pupatello have failed auto workers,” said Miller.

Ironically, Minister Pupatello was singing a very different tune about Ford when responding to questions from Miller during the Legislature’s Spring session.

“As recently as early June, the Minister was crowing about how a government hand-out was creating new jobs at Ford in Oakville (see Hansard excerpt below). I wonder how the Minister likes her crow, because she’ll have plenty to munch on,” mused Miller.

“As New Democrats have consistently stated, we are not opposed to auto sector incentives. But they need to come with firm job guarantees. Just like GM earlier this year, it appears Ford is taking the $100-million it got from the McGuinty government and running. Minister Pupatello has a lot of explaining to do for her abject failure.”

Hansard excerpt – June 4, 2008:

(in response Paul Miller question on government auto investment strategy)

Hon. Sandra Pupatello: I think it's important to note that our auto investment strategy has led companies to make investments for where cars and trucks, vehicles, are going to be in the next 20 years, allowing our companies to shift on a dime, changing with consumer changes. That really is the impetus of our funding to these companies.

We should use Ford Oakville as a very good example. Yesterday, they launched their new Flex. That is a new model that they could put in on a flex line made possible by the Ontario government and by support from the federal government. That is why we saw an ad for the hiring of 500 jobs at the Oakville plant. I'd like this member to stand up and say that that is a failure.