Ontario Loses Private Sector and Full Time Jobs, While Government Payroll Continues to Balloon
QUEEN’S PARK– This morning, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex MPP Monte McNaughton responded to the recently announced April employment numbers. McNaughton addressed many of the key statistics in the monthly Labour Force Survey announcement.
“Last month Ontario lost almost 17,000 private sector jobs while youth employment is still 13,100 jobs short of what it was at this same time last year,” said McNaughton. “In fact, Ontario’s unemployment rate jumped 0.2 per cent over the last month to now sit at 7 per cent.”
During the month of April, Ontario lost 24,200 full-time jobs including 16,700 jobs from the private sector. At the same time, public sector jobs jumped by 12,200. While the monthly job numbers are constantly changing, the hallmark of a successful government is to manage the fundamentals in order to set the stage for real and lasting full time, private sector job growth.
“Instead of a serious plan to help create jobs and grow our economy, we see a government committed to picking winners and losers at Queen’s Park, and we see a government that gives billions of dollars each year to private corporations without even bothering to track whether the investments are meeting the objectives of creating jobs and growing the provincial economy,” said McNaughton.
Recent media reports have highlighted the shortcomings and raised important questions regarding Ontario’s corporate grants, subsidies, and contracts.Disturbingly, lists of provincial grants awarded by the Wynne Liberal Government seem to read like a Who’s Who of big corporations and friendly Liberal donors.
“On January 15th and again on March 29th, I wrote to Minister Duguid asking him to come clean and release a full list of all corporate grants awarded by this government,” said McNaughton. “While the Liberal government is worried about rewarding their connected friends and political allies with crony capitalism and pay-for-play politics, today over half a million people continue to look for work here in Ontario. It’s clear that life is harder under the Wynne Liberals.”