NDP Economic Development Critic Paul Miller today demanded the McGuinty government step in and provide immediate support for up to 500 displaced autoworkers who were supposed to have started work today at Ford’s Oakville plant.

“These hardworking men and women gave up good jobs for the opportunity at Ford. Late last week, they found out there are no jobs and that they are essentially out of luck. Meanwhile, Ford walks away with $100-million of public money. The McGuinty government has a moral obligation to provide for these workers,” said Miller, who was joined at a Queen’s Park press conference this morning by half a dozen of the affected workers.

“It was the McGuinty government that held up these jobs as proof that its auto sector strategy was working. The exact opposite is true. The McGuinty auto sector strategy has flopped. Thousands of jobs are disappearing, while hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate hand-outs go out the door. Why is this happening? Because the McGuinty failed to negotiate firm job guarantees.”

As recently as early June, Economic Development Minister Sandra Pupatello referred to the Oakville jobs in the Legislature. See below for her comments from Hansard.

Hansard excerpt - June 4, 2008:

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.