BRANTFORD – Politics – “Ontario is blessed with thousands of acres of productive farmland. We have what the world wants. By investing in Ontario’s food processing sector, we are ensuring that our producers will have the tools they need to reach new markets around the world,” stated Premier Kathleen Wynne.
Wynne was in Brantford today to announce the Ontario Liberal agri-food plan to help the province’s food processing sector create more jobs and compete globally.
The Ontario Liberal agri-food plan will support the food processing industry and help farmers buy machinery and equipment through a 10-year, $40 million a year fund. The new support will help farmers enhance their operations so that they can create jobs, attract investment and be more globally competitive. The Liberal plan will double the annual growth rate of the agri-food sector and create 120,000 new jobs by 2020.
The increased support for the agri-food sector is contained in the $2.5 billion Jobs and Prosperity Fund included in the 2014 Liberal Budget. The fund will secure business investments that focus on job creation, increased productivity and making companies more globally competitive. If re-elected on June 12, the Ontario Liberals will re-introduce the Budget.
With $10.8 billion in food exports for 2012, Ontario is among the leading export provinces and enjoys a well-earned international reputation for quality, safe food. Only the Ontario Liberals have a plan to invest in our food processing industry to build on this success and compete in the global marketplace.
Andrea Horwath’s NDP put this support for the agri-food sector and the Jobs and Prosperity Fund at risk when they chose not to support the 2014 Liberal Budget.
The Hudak PC proposal to slash 100,000 jobs would put Ontario’s economy and the agri-food sector at risk by plunging the province back into a recession. Fewer people at work will result in less money invested back into the economy, leading to thousands of layoffs of highly-skilled workers.
QUICK FACTS
· Ontario’s agri-food sector contributes approximately $34 billion to the province’s economy and supports more than 740,000 jobs across Ontario.
· The province’s diverse and productive agriculture sector is one of Ontario’s top two manufacturing employers.
· With $10.8 billion in exports for 2012, Ontario is among the leading export provinces and enjoys a well-earned international reputation for quality, safe food.
· Ontario’s agri-food industry is one of the biggest drivers of the province’s economic engine, growing during and after the recent recession.
· Liberals passed the Local Food Act to support the agri-food sector by encouraging more people and institutions to buy local food.
