Conservatives failing Ontario’s manufacturing industry

March 25, 2015

OTTAWA – Two years after announcing $200 million in manufacturing funds for Ontario, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives have failed to deliver a single dollar of investment, said Liberals today.

“Southern Ontario has lost hundreds of thousands of good paying, middle class manufacturing jobs under this government,” said Liberal MP John McCallum. “Now we see that the Conservatives have failed to award even one contract from the Advanced Manufacturing Fund, the centerpiece of their alleged support for Ontario.”

The Conservative government’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which has so far failed to support any projects, was announced in March 2013 and began accepting applications that December. The fund – supposed to “increase productivity” and “contribute directly to an innovative and sustainable manufacturing base” – requires that any project receiving funding be completed prior to the end of 2018. This is just the latest Conservative failure to aid Ontario’s manufacturing sector; the government also slashed FedDev Ontario’s budget by 22 percent, and has left what little funds that remain unspent.

“The hard working families of Southern Ontario need a smart economic plan that recognizes the manufacturing advantages that already exist in the region, the educated and skilled workers there, and uses that to innovate to Canada’s advantage,” said Liberal Critic for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, Arnold Chan. “The Harper Conservatives’ complete incompetence in rolling out a major plank of their economic support for Southern Ontario shows just how little they really care about strengthening the middle class.”