Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak made a stop in Meaford on Thursday to talk to Chamber of Commerce members and residents about his vision to bolster the apprenticeship programs in Ontario which Hudak says will help create some 200,000 jobs.
Hudak said that he is particularly mindful of the need for job creation in Ontario's rural communities like Meaford, a concern that he doesn't think is necessarily shared by the governing Liberals.
“I am worried about where our province stands today. I'm worried that our province is being divided along rural and urban lines, and that's not the kind of Ontario that we want to see,” Hudak told the gathering.
“Small businesses that are the backbone of communities like Meaford are struggling working harder than ever but finding it harder and harder to get money through the cash register. They are finding that their customers don't have as much money in their pockets. And it seems like government is spending more time getting in your way, than getting behind you in creating jobs,” offered Hudak.
Hudak said that he and his party want to focus on creating quality job opportunities in Ontario's private sector. To do that Hudak says that Ontario needs to foster an environment in which skilled trades will play an important role.
“We were at Georgian College today in Owen Sound. They have a world-renowned reputation in their marine training centre for example, and we all know if you get into a skilled trade...carpenter, electrician, plumber, these are good jobs. But we actually have high unemployment on one hand, and a skilled trades shortage on the other. So we would actually create 200,000 jobs in the skilled trades,” said Hudak, “These are good jobs, a ticket to the middle class.”
Hudak said that in addition to providing opportunities in the skilled trades, Ontario also needs to reduce the red-tape that business owners currently wade through on a daily basis. He said that the ideas his party has for growth in Ontario would benefit everyone.
After his talk, Hudak told reporters that when he visits rural communities throughout Ontario he hears some common concerns.
“They're worried about the future of Ontario's smaller communities, and feel that the current provincial government has left them behind,” offered Hudak.
“We've got to start focusing on private sector job creation again, and in communities like Meaford, small business is the backbone of those communities. So some tax relief and getting behind them, stop tying their hands up with red tape, and third, invest in the skilled trades.”
Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker agreed with the thoughts expressed by his party's leader.
“Small rural areas are the heartbeat, they are the vibrancy, and if we keep those rolling and expanding, then everything works well together,” offered Walker.
