Throne Speech a major disappointment, says Clark

Leeds-Grenville MPP Steve Clark said today the McGuinty government's Throne Speech has demonstrated a clear lack of leadership on the major economic challenges facing Ontario. It's clear that the Premier has simply chosen to ignore the strong message voters sent during the recent provincial election.

PHOTO CREDIT - OurHometown.ca

Toronto - November 22, 2011 - Leeds-Grenville MPP Steve Clark said today the McGuinty government's Throne Speech has demonstrated a clear lack of leadership on the major economic challenges facing Ontario.

It's clear that the Premier has simply chosen to ignore the strong message voters sent during the recent provincial election by reducing him to a minority and electing a dozen new Ontario PC MPPs, said Clark, reacting to the Throne Speech delivered this afternoon in the Ontario Legislative Assembly by Lieutenant Governor David C. Onley.

People asked for action on two issues: job creation and runaway government spending. Sadly, the government's Throne Speech has offered absolutely nothing to address these critical economic challenges. In fact, their plans will actually make the situation worse.

Clark noted the government announced in today's speech that it plans to add a staggering $2.5 billion in new program spending - an unacceptable move when the province is already reeling under a $16-billion deficit and a debt projected to hit $300 billion.

Our economy faces tremendous challenges and the message from Premier McGuinty today is that his government will ignore those economic problems and continue with its spendthrift behaviour, stressed Clark. I'm tremendously disappointed by what I heard this afternoon.

He noted Ontario has lost more than 75,000 full-time jobs since the election and added another $1 billion to the deficit.

Voters in Leeds-Grenville re-elected me on Oct. 6 with a mandate to create jobs and control government spending. Unlike the Premier, I got that message, said Clark.

That's why I've asked for an urgent meeting to make the Eastern Ontario Development Fund work better and it's why I support our party's call for an immediate public-sector wage freeze and to create 200,000 new skilled trades jobs by reforming Ontario's apprenticeship system.

Clark said the PC Opposition will be calling on the McGuinty government to amend its Throne Speech by adding the wage freeze and apprenticeship system reforms.

These are the bold ideas and strong leadership that Ontarians are looking for in tough economic times, explained Clark. Despite our party's best attempts to work with the premier over the past several weeks, they just didn't get that from the government in its Throne Speech today.