Pushing trade bill without consultation threatens local jobs, trade: NDP

Kathleen Wynne has taken the almost-unheard-of step of shutting down debate and banning public hearings on proposed trade legislation – threatening workers, jobs and industries, says NDP Finance critic John Vanthof.

“By preventing the Fairness in Procurement Act from going through the normal committee hearing process, Kathleen Wynne is stripping the Ontario manufacturing sector of their say in legislation that will have a profound impact on thousands of hard working Ontarians,” said Vanthof.

The time-allocation tactic Wynne is using to shut down consultation on this bill has not been used in Ontario since 2001. The Harris-Eves Conservative governments regularly used time allocation limits to block public hearings on legislation, but this is the first time the McGuinty-Wynne Liberals have used the tactic. Doing so threatens to turn important trade measures into dangerous electioneering, according to the NDP.

“For 15 years, the Liberal government has been letting Ontario workers down. On their watch, over 300,000 manufacturing and auto jobs were lost,” said Vanthof. “Kathleen Wynne rubber-stamped the Trans-Pacific Partnership – which hurts auto jobs – and she implemented a program to take personal and sick days away from auto-workers – days that every other worker in the province gets.”

Vanthof says New Democrats support reciprocal trade relationships, and efforts to preserve access to American procurement contracts for Ontario businesses. Vanthof is concerned that, if not handled properly, this antagonistic move could jeopardize the livelihoods of the Ontarians and businesses who depend on a good trading relationship with the United States.

“This is a last minute election ploy to make it look like she’s standing up for jobs in Ontario, when really what she is doing is denying Ontario’s steel, manufacturing, and auto sectors a chance to shape legislation that will have a direct impact on their future,” said Vanthof. “These hard-working Ontarians deserve better.”