I want to talk to you today about some of the most important issues that the NDP will focus on in this provincial election.
We will be creating and protecting jobs! The tools we have to do that include:
• Stopping the “no-strings-attached” corporate giveaways.
• Rewarding job creators.
• “Buy Ontario” to build Ontario’s economy.
• Processing our Natural resources here.
• Protecting people on the job.
So, what does that mean in the Northwest?
Well, I have been talking to all kinds of people as part of my election campaign over the last two months. And what I’ve heard makes me say – Its time for a change that puts PEOPLE first. And the Ontario New Democrats are right on target to make that change.
Let me take it one point at a time.
Stopping the “no-strings-attached” corporate giveaways:
I heard many times of government putting public money into the big forestry companies to open a mill – create jobs. But there were no-strings-attached. No real plan for the future. And now, many families and communities are facing real challenges to just survive. We can do better than that.
Rewarding job creators:
The NDP will provide financial incentives to companies that invest in Ontario and in their workers.
“Buy Ontario” to build Ontario’s economy:
The government is the largest employer in Ontario and in much of our region. We will use our economic power to support all of the people in Ontario – by spending our money here at home and that creates more local jobs. By working together, we can create a better way.
Processing our Natural Resources here:
This is a key issue for our area. We rely heavily on our natural resources for good jobs, many of which have disappeared. The hardships that many families are facing right now are heart breaking. I met single parents who must borrow money to pay their hydro bill. Families split apart, the spouse having to leave home to work out West. And yet, new operations wanting to set up to meet niche markets can’t get wood rights. They are still help by the big companies that left us in the dust.
We need to use our natural resources carefully and responsibly to build Ontario’s prosperity and protect them so they’re there for future generations.
Protecting people on the job:
This has been my life for the last thirty years. I have been a community voice for workers rights and have learned about our public systems from a variety of perspectives and I know – we can do better. We will enforce employment standards; we will increase the minimum wage; and we will index programs to the cost of living.
Steve Mantis
Thunder Bay, Superior North
