LONDON – Today Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) has been shut down by its parent company Caterpillar Inc. The plant has been in operation in London since 1949.

“The closing of another plant in London is devastating,” said Irene Mathyssen, MP (London-Fanshawe). “The men and women of EMD showed courage and integrity, fighting for fairness not only for themselves, but for all working people in this country. They took a stand against corporate greed and said loud and clear that enough was enough! These are the kind good paying jobs that are vital if we are to keep London a thriving community and keep Canada a strong and prosperous.”

The company locked out workers in December when employees refused to agree to a 50% pay cut. EMDs closing will result in 450 jobs lost.

“This decision is about corporate greed” said Teresa Armstrong, MPP (London-Fanshawe). “You cannot expect a family to take a 50% hit on the family income. To make such demands on workers while corporate profits are at record levels, and then to shut down the plant, is an insult to hard working Ontarians. This confirms all of our fears about McGuinty’s soft stance on job creation and corporate taxes. When deep tax cuts and rebates aren’t tied to job guarantees, our workers lose, our economy loses, and all of Ontario loses.”

Caterpillar posted record high revenue in its last quarter with a 59% increase in profits. Prime Minister Steven Harper visited EMD’s plant floor in March of 2008, to help showcase the regions’ manufacturing sector.

“The federal government has failed to protect the manufacturing sector in London. The tax breaks to companies have not protected any of these jobs” said Mathyssen. “It is very clear that corporate tax cuts are ineffective in keeping manufacturing jobs in Canada.”

When Harper took office in February of 2006, there were 2,127,200 manufacturing jobs in Canada. Today there are 1,743,700 – a total loss of nearly 400,000 manufacturing jobs on Harper’s watch. We have lost over 40,000 manufacturing jobs in the last year alone.

“The Harper government failed these workers, our community, and every worker in the country by remaining silent and refusing to come to the aid of the EMD workers and their families. We need a way to protect Canadian jobs, and we need a government that will act. New Democrats have offered practical proposals, like the “Made In Canada” Act I brought forward, or the changes to the Investment Canada Act my colleagues have called for. The loss of so many jobs is devastating for the workers, their families and communities across Canada and cannot be allowed to continue.” said Mathyssen.

The announcement at Caterpillar follows a string of closures in the area including Vytec, auto parts maker Siemens VDO, and the Beta Brands plant. The Siemens closure cost the last 250 workers their jobs at a plant which just over 10 years ago employed almost 2,000. The Beta Brands plant had been running since 1858 and the closure was devastating for many long time employees. The Vytec Plant had been operating in London since 1974 and employed 200 workers.

The government has known about quality problems at colleges for years. But, today, colleges that were supposed to be closed down continue to illegally operate and colleges have repeatedly violated regulations, such as instructor qualifications going uninspected. Why is this government failing to protect the 60,000 Ontarians who attend private career colleges?

Hon. Glen R. Murray: Thanks very much. I appreciate the question from my honourable friend opposite. First of all, out of the 60,000 students in the system most get a very high-quality education. Second of all, we have now covered off all of the colleges determined to be high risk—have been fully inspected. We have expanded our inspection program. All high-risk schools will be inspected within three months. Those being identified as medium-risk schools, which is the level we are now at—within the next 24 months. We are under one of the most aggressive expansions of our inspections program. We have gotten through all of the high-risk colleges. We are now in the middle of going through the mid-medium-risk colleges. We can ensure Ontarians that the over 400 training colleges and private sector schools will be well managed.

Teresa J. Armstrong: In 2006, the government passed Private Career Colleges Act and claimed it would get tough on career colleges. But today, the ministry still has only eight inspectors for 470 colleges, and it has only inspected 30 campuses last year despite identifying 180 ??risks of violating basic educational standards. Taxpayers have subsidized these colleges to the tune of half a billion dollars over the last three years. When will the government finally hire the inspectors it needs and ensure students at career colleges get the training that they pay for and they expect?

Hon. Glen R. Murray: Mr. Speaker, we have actually done considerably more than that. In the first nine months of this year alone, over 100 actions have been taken against illegal operators. That’s ??the most aggressive enforcement in the history of this province, better than ??what the party opposite ever did when they were in power. The ministry has also developed a student satisfaction survey for students affected by a school closure and protected under the training completion assurance fund, the TCAF. The survey is in use and was issued to the first group of students in November. The ministry has recently completed a comprehensive review of the performance measures of the collection process and has developed six performance indicators for the private career college sector.

Earlier this month I joined members of all three parties in recognizing November as Woman Abuse Prevention Month. It’s a sad reminder that violence against women is just as present today . We must continue to do more.

On behalf of New Democrats, and on behalf of women in Ontario, I want to honour the memory of the fourteen women who died as well as women who continue to face abuse by committing to work with our caucus and with members of every party to do more to stop violence against women.

“There is real necessity for all of us here to take action by creating and protecting jobs for the long run. We must stop giving away across-the-board tax cuts to companies who are not compelled to create jobs. I believe rewarding the job creators of this province is the right way to move forward and I ask for all members here to support my efforts,” said Armstrong.

Armstrong told her fellow MPPs about her experiences of the health system in London, and how meeting patients and nurses on the campaign trail showed her that there needs to be a change of priorities.

“In London, we have emergency wards that are bursting at the seams and no real commitment to long term care beds….Our proposal to cap the six figure salaries of hospital CEO’s would allow for us to reinvest those savings and restore the loss of our front line healthcare staff. It’s clear that my constituents of London-Fanshawe are simply not confident that the healthcare system will be there for them when they need it,” she told MPPs.

Armstrong, who is the NDP’s Critic on Training, Colleges and Universities, also highlighted the shameful fact that Ontario has the highest tuition fees and the lowest per capita spending on postsecondary education in the country.

“We must immediately address the dual problems of skyrocketing tuition fees and student debt. This Government cannot honestly expect to offer a program to only a handful of “eligible” students while he does nothing to prevent tuition fees from rising exponentially. My riding of London-Fanshawe is home to Fanshawe College and just outside the riding is University of Western Ontario, I am eager to provide the students of my riding…with the financial relief they so desperately need,” said Armstrong.

Armstrong found time to thank her hard working staff and volunteers who devoted their time and energy to help her become the new MPP for the riding.

“To all the dedicated volunteers who gave up their time and shared their personal stories with me. I thank you for your hard work, dedication and trust. Together, we achieved a huge success and we connected with our community and each other on a meaningful and personal level.”

“Families are being told to pay more for everything from electricity to auto insurance and the government that’s supposed to protect them just isn’t doing their job,” said Horwath.

In his Annual Report Auditor General Jim McCarter found example after example of a government that’s let people down:

• Ontario drivers are paying the highest insurance premiums in Canada but insurers are guaranteed large profits based on a formula that is over a decade old – and the government is not conducting adequate follow-up to ensure accident victims are being compensated.
• Consumers who sign contracts with private electricity retailers are paying 35 to 65 per cent more for their electricity. 17,000 consumers have complained but only a limited number of enforcement actions have been taken.
• Consumers are left on the hook for the sudden cancellation of poorly planned private power deals like gas plants in Mississauga and Oakville.
• The government was unable to show which private career colleges were being inspected, and has stopped collecting information about graduation and employment rates, despite an obligation to do so.

“In these tough times, when people are told resources are scarce, this government needs to make everyday people a priority,” said Horwath. “Families expect a government to stand up for them and protect their interests and time and time again that just isn’t happening.”

“Resources that are mined here should be processed here, plain and simple,” said Horwath. “The unwillingness of the McGuinty Liberals to stand up for hundreds of value added jobs is alarming.”

Horwath raised the issue after it was reported that Cliffs Natural Resources was looking to ship chromite to China for processing (Sudbury Star, Nov. 23, 2011).

Such a move would require the support of the Minister of Northern Development and Mines. But Minister Rick Bartolucci refused to address the question (see transcript below).

“Ontario needs leadership on jobs, and that means firmly stating that resources mined in the Ring of Fire must be processed here,” said Horwath.

Schein is demanding to know when the long-delayed government cycling strategy will finally be published.

“We desperately need a new provincial strategy to make cycling safer. The McGuinty government has been working on a strategy for at least 18 months now. We cannot wait for more cyclists to be killed and injured on our roads before we start taking action,” said Schein.

Schein pointed out in the letter that that the Minister Bob Chiarelli promised after the death of Jenna Morrison that he would ask his officials to review infrastructure requirements for cycling on Ontario’s roads.

“The former Minister of Transportation said over a year ago that the government’s draft cycling strategy would be released ‘in months’. We do not need another study. We need action. The government must finally show some urgency by releasing its strategy that’s gathering dust on the Minister’s desk while cyclists are facing unsafe journeys every day,” he added.

Jonah Schein will continue to press the government to publish the strategy and start making the roads safer for cyclists in his riding and across Ontario.

“We can get Ontario’s books in balance but not with short-sighted cuts to fund corporate tax giveaways and payouts for cancelled power plants,” said Horwath. “We need to put people first. If Ontario’s families are doing well, our economy will.”

“This government’s telling families to expect higher fees and reduced services while handing tax giveaways to corporations making millions in profit,” she added. “They’ve got their priorities backwards and families pay the price.”

Horwath was responding to the Economic Update, which outlined the minority government’s economic priorities and the province’s fiscal situation. Horwath says New Democrats are skeptical about Liberal promises that reductions won’t affect the quality of public services.

“Families have heard promises of painless cutbacks before,” said Horwath. “We plan to hold the government to their word, cuts that slow our economy and hurt households are not the direction Ontario needs.”

“Families can expect New Democrats to be constructively putting forward good ideas on living within our means while we create jobs, strengthening health care, and making life more affordable,” said Horwath.

Sid has been a tireless advocate of social justice throughout Ontario, throughout Canada and indeed throughout the world. He is a strong advocate for the working people who have been increasingly ignored by Dalton McGuinty.

I think Ontario workers are going benefit from Sid’s tough stands for working people and his principled and reasonable approach to labour negotiations.

“As the Legislature begins, New Democrats will focus on the priorities that are on the top of mind of families: creating jobs, making life more affordable, and strengthening health care,” said Horwath. “The government’s making the right sounds about working together, but the proof will be in the pudding.”

Horwath was pleased to see language in the Speech from the Throne acknowledging concerns about affordability, as well as a commitment to invest in homecare.

“It’s clear we’ve put some issues on the agenda. Households are facing unprecedented challenges and the cost of living has grown too high,” said Horwath. “We’ve been raising the issues of families who want to tackle waiting lists for homecare that has reached 10,000 and relieve stress on our hospitals.”

However, Horwath said the McGuinty Liberals’ insistence on corporate tax giveaways – while rejecting the NDP plan to take HST off home heating – is disappointing.

“The same tired solutions we’ve been trying for ten years are going to produce the same results, said Horwath. “We need a new approach. It’s time to make life more affordable for households that are scrambling to make ends meet.”