Halton Hills - Milton: "This province is edging closer and closer to economic chaos," said Ted Chudleigh, MPP Halton and opposition critic for Economic Development and Trade.

Mr. Chudleigh cited today's announcement of huge job losses at General Motors and a recent announcement that the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts in Ontario dropped by almost 17 per cent, as indicators of this economic trouble.

"Last week I outlined a litany of job losses in industries across the province. Now two more economic indictors suggest the Ontario Liberal government is fiddling while the province's manufacturing job base burns," said Mr. Chudleigh. "Ontarians want to know what Mr. McGuinty's Liberals are going to do to put out the fire and rebuild Ontario's damaged manufacturing sector."

Premier McGuinty has acknowledged 42,000 job losses in manufacturing but has dismissed them as a small contraction.

"Those thousands of Ontarians who face job loss and the many thousands of family members who will be affected by these announcements need to know their government has a plan to reverse the trend of job loss in the manufacturing sector," said Mr. Chudleigh. "Sadly, the Premier has shown he and his government have no plan and have little understanding of the levers of economic development."

Mr. Chudleigh added that with General Motors reducing its production there will be significant job losses in Ontario's auto parts manufacturing sector. He also said that the entire economy will be affected by these job losses as those thousands of people out of work will have less money to spend on goods and services, leading to more job losses in other sectors of the economy and a general economic malaise in Ontario.

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