It Took Less Than Two Years...

In less then two weeks, Stephen Harper will have been Prime Minister for two years. In less than two years our economy is stagnant, our unemployment rate has risen, bankruptcies are on the rise, and our manufacturing and automotive sectors are struggling to stay afloat. Yet, Harper, in his latest political ploy, has stated the aid dollars he finally offered to assist the manufacturing sector and other sectors this week will have to wait until the upcoming budget, another six or seven weeks from now. Someone should strongly remind the Prime Minister that Canadians looking for jobs can NOT wait until the budget to buy food for their families or to make their next mortgage payment. They can NOT wait for the budget to pay their hydro bills or buy gas for their cars. They need the Government to step up to the plate and stimulate the economy NOW, today, not in six or seven weeks.

Someone also needs to remind Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the aid dollars he has put on the table are NOT enough. In 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin put 500 million dollars into an automotive fund alone. The estimated 350 million Stephen Harper is allocating for the province of Ontario for all sectors including manufacturing pales in comparison. It is too little and it will be too late if it is after the budget. Essex County, Windsor, and all of Ontario need substantial assistance, NOW, and much more than what Stephen Harper is offering.

What is also deeply distressing is the fact that the automotive company, Ford, is willing to keep the engine plant in Windsor open with a new product if the federal government is willing to contribute 30 million dollars for the retrofit. To me this is absolutely a no brainer. The province has already stepped up to the plate and someone should please tell the Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty, to stop dilly dallying and write the cheque. It was federal funds that brought the engine plant to Windsor in the first place in the mid 1970s. For over 30 years we have had the employment of hundreds if not thousands of individuals, and numerous spin off jobs as well.

I urge you to write to the Prime Minister and ask him to reconsider both the size of the aid investment fund for manufacturing and the immediate injection of 30 million dollars into Ford in Windsor, to save jobs.

Today, is the day to get our economy moving again, not six or seven weeks from now.