STILES: Ford lied, and it cost Ontario good union jobs

QUEEN’S PARK –– Official Opposition Leader Marit Stiles says Doug Ford’s decision to weaken Canadian content requirements for the GO expansion and Ontario Line –– and keeping Ontarians in the dark about it –– is being paid for with even more job losses.

“Doug Ford lied, and it cost Ontario good, union jobs in Thunder Bay,” said Stiles. “The Conservatives made this decision behind closed doors, and when they were asked about it, they denied it. Ford is a jobs disaster.

“I’ve met with these workers –– they have the expertise and skills for these projects. We could have avoided hundreds of layoffs if this $9 billion contract had been kept in Ontario.

“For all of Doug Ford’s “Captain Canada” talk, the cape comes off pretty quickly when he sees some American dollars. Our economy is under attack from the United States, with jobs being lost every day thanks to Trump’s tariffs. Our Premier is directly costing Ontario good jobs, and refusing to tell the truth about it.

“Ford needs to answer to the workers who lost their livelihoods because of him.”

BACKGROUND:

• Since 2008, all transit vehicles funded by Ontario are required to be made with at least 25 per cent Canadian content.
• A Freedom of Information (FOI) request obtained by the Ontario NDP revealed that the Ford government quietly weakened Canadian content rules for procurement of the Ontario Line trains.
• The FOI also shows that the Conservatives are eliminating Canadian content requirements for the GO expansion, one of Ontario’s largest infrastructure projects.
• Metrolinx wasn’t informed of the reductions until 2022 –– more than two years after the decision was made, and nearly seven months after it was reported in the media.