FACT CHECK: The Wynne Liberals on Ontario’s economic growth

7 years ago

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The Wynne Liberals need to learn that facts still matter in Ontario. They continue to use inaccurate spin to distract from the fact their economic mismanagement has driven Ontario, once Canada’s economic engine, into have-not status.

While the Wynne Liberals may be comfortable with Ontario being at the bottom of the pack, the Ontario PCs are not.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa in Question Period: “We are number one in North America when it comes to economic growth.”

Finance Minister Charles Sousa in Question Period: “We are leading Canada in economic growth. We are leading the G7 in economic growth.”

Labour Minister Kevin Flynn in the Toronto Sun: “And this is happening at a time when Ontario can boast the fastest growing economy in the G7.”

Fact: In the first quarter of 2017, Ontario had slower economic growth than both the United States and Canadian national average. In total, 27 individual American states had stronger first quarter economic growth than Ontario.

Jurisdiction	2017 Q1 Real GDP Growth (%)
Texas	3.9
Canada	3.7
West Virginia	3.0
New Mexico	2.8
Washington	2.7
Maryland	2.1
Wisconsin	2.1
Idaho	2.1
Virginia	2.0
Alabama	1.9
Oklahoma	1.9
Utah	1.9
Indiana	1.8
Kentucky	1.8
Alaska	1.8
Georgia	1.7
South Carolina	1.7
North Dakota	1.6
Michigan	1.5
Tennessee	1.5
Ohio	1.4
Florida	1.4
Arkansas	1.3
Mississippi	1.3
USA	1.2
Pennsylvania	1.2
Massachusetts	1.1
Vermont	1.1
Oregon	1.1
Ontario	1.0
Louisiana	1.0
Nevada	1.0
Illinois	0.9
Missouri	0.9
Arizona	0.9
Wyoming	0.9
New Hampshire	0.8
Rhode Island	0.7
North Carolina	0.7
Connecticut	0.6
District of Columbia	0.6
New Jersey	0.6
Colorado	0.4
Delaware	0.3
New York	0.3
California	0.1
Maine	0.0
Minnesota	-0.3
Montana	-0.5
Kansas	-0.7
Hawaii	-0.9
Iowa	-3.2
South Dakota	-3.8
Nebraska	-4.0

 

SOURCES:

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

Ontario Economic Accounts

Statistics Canada