As President Obama struggled to deliver good news to Americans in the face on dismal job numbers during this quarter, the Harper and the McGunity government was patting its back on Canada and Ontario’s continued strong job creation record.
Minister Denis Lebel, commenting on the release of the Labour Force Survey results for June stated “ Our Conservative government is focused on what matters to Canadians – creating jobs, promoting economic growth, and ensuring long-term prosperity. June’s continued job growth and the over +765,000 net new jobs created since July 2009 (90% full-time and nearly 80% private sector) are positive signs that we are on the right track for jobs and economic growth in Canada. But, from the United States to Europe, the global economy remains fragile and challenges persist.”
Here in Ontario, there was a modest increase in jobs. The total number of full-time jobs created was 35,100. The unemployment rate fell to 7.7 per cent.
Providing the right climate to attract investment and build business is part of the McGuinty government’s plan to create jobs and strengthen the economy. A strong economy protects the services that mean most to families – health care and education.
“Our focus remains on job creation and taking strong action to eliminate the deficit to protect the services that Ontario families rely on – like health care and education. Ontario is committed to building a strong business climate, attracting further investment to the province and creating a prosperous economy for future generations,” stated Minister Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development and Innovation.
Progressive Conservatives however were not so pleased with McGuinty government’s performance on job creation and the labour laws.
Ontario can compete, create good jobs and prosper in the global marketplace – but only if we keep pace with the labour law reforms being implemented by our major competitors, PC Deputy Leader Christine Elliott said.
“Ontario is clinging to outdated labour laws – many created in the 40’s. We’re lagging far behind most other advanced industrialized jurisdictions,” Elliott said.
Elliott noted that “while Europe, Australia and New Zealand are ahead of us, the United States is working diligently to reform its labour laws. Canada is the only outlier today, falling further and further behind our major trading partners.”
“So my message to these labour leaders is this,” Elliott said. “We cannot afford to compound our competitive disadvantage by clinging to labour laws that date back to the last century.”
“Rigid labour laws and inefficient bureaucracies make businesses more hesitant to expand and hire, increasing unemployment,” Elliott said, referencing several studies that showed higher average incomes, economic and job growth in U.S. states that enacted such reforms, compared to those that did not.
