QUEEN’S PARK – The issue of Global Sticks in Thunder Bay was the subject of an exchange between NDP leader Andrea Horwath and The Minister for Economic Development and Research, Brad Duguid during Question Period.
The company is reportedly looking to re-structure and seeking financing to do so. Last May, the Ontario Government announced funding and loan guarantees for the company.
Here is the exchange from QP:
Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also to the Acting Premier. The Premier is in London today making new promises about jobs. Can the Acting Premier tell us what happened to the $7 million the government gave to Global Sticks Inc.?
Hon. Dwight Duncan: To the Minister of Economic Development and Research.
Hon. Brad Duguid: I assume this is going to be an ongoing tirade we’re going to hear from the leader of the third party every couple of weeks when a company has some challenges, a company that we may have had some involvement with in terms of trying to help them create jobs.
The fact is, the dollars that we invest, whether it be in research and innovation companies, whether it be in some of our regional economic development funds, whether it be in some of our funds to try to attract investment to Ontario—some of those companies may not fare that well. The majority of those companies fare very well; the majority of those companies create jobs.
It takes a little bit of courage for a government to make these kinds of investments but we’re going to stand up for Ontario companies, we’re going to stand by job creation.
My question for the leader of the third party is, does she have the intestinal fortitude to support these kinds of investments?
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?
Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, Speaker, with very much fanfare the government gave Global Sticks $7 million in grants and promised 130 permanent jobs. Instead, it closed its doors and some of the workers are saying they haven’t even been paid.
Navistar in Chatham received a grant of over $30 million, only to shed 1,000 jobs away.
Silicon Knights in St. Catharines received a grant of $2.5 million and just slashed their workforce by half.
Why is it that money that’s supposed to be creating jobs is getting handed to companies that are laying people off?
Hon. Brad Duguid: Judging by that question, I can see what the NDP strategy for job creation is in this province and it’s to do nothing—just leave those companies hanging out to dry, just leave the workers and the potential to work in partnership with the private sector, to build jobs in this province—
Interjections.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Order, please.
Hon. Brad Duguid:—just leave them out there unemployed.
We’re not going to do that. We’re investing in the fundamentals to build a strong economy. That includes partnerships with private sector companies to build up unemployed. We’re not going to do that. We’re investing in the fundamentals to build a strong economy: That includes partnerships with private sector companies to build up our economic prospects to create jobs; it includes building a strong education system; it includes investing in infrastructure; it includes investing in a competitive tax environment.
What we’re doing in this province is investing in the fundamentals to build a strong economy. It’s obvious the NDP aren’t up to that job. We’re determined to get that job done.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Final supplementary?
Ms. Andrea Horwath: The Premier’s very, very good at promising jobs and he’s even better at handing money away with no strings attached, but the only people who seem to have a job guarantee around here are the people who are paid to set up the photo ops for the Premier as he travels the province.
What job guarantees are being demanded in exchange for the millions that this government is giving away?
Hon. Brad Duguid: I’m really pleased to be able to share with the leader of the third party that the Premier is in London today making a very important announcement because southwestern Ontario—particularly London, but southwestern Ontario in general—has had some challenging times. The Premier is there to tell the people of southwestern Ontario—the workers of southwestern Ontario—that we’re going to stand with them, because as our economy improves here, throughout Ontario, we want to make sure that southwestern Ontario and eastern Ontario are benefiting from that growth. There is not a part in this province that we don’t care about.
I’ll be looking to the leader of the third party to see if she really cares about workers in the coming weeks, to see if she’s going to support our efforts to help grow the economy in southwestern Ontario, to help grow the economy in eastern Ontario, to continue to invest in our projects that are growing the economy in northern Ontario and to help invest in workers and jobs right across this province.