Ottawa Liberals fight Tim Hudak's pink slips pledge

This morning Ontario Liberal candidates in Ottawa stood up to Tim Hudak and his plan to hand out 100,000 pink slips to fire fighters, water inspectors, and Children's Aid workers.

Tim Hudak’s reckless and radical approach would cut jobs and reduce important services that Ottawa families rely on by turning paycheques into pink slips for 100,000 people. That is equivalent to firing everyone in Hawkesbury ten times over, or handing out pink slips to everyone living in Kanata.

Under the Hudak PCs vital services would be dramatically slashed, impacting all Ontarians.

Here are some examples of workers who would be on Tim Hudak’s chopping block:

• Water inspectors
• Meat inspectors
• Forest fire fighters
• Special education assistants
• Health inspectors
• Early childhood educators
• Developmental services workers
• Teachers
• Community mental health workers
• Social workers
• Employment counselors
• Workplace health and safety inspectors
• Jail guards
• Personal Support Workers
• Auditors
• Foresters
• Public health workers
• Road crews
• Children’s Aid Society staff

Fewer people at work will result in less money invested back into the economy, leading to thousands of layoffs of highly-skilled workers. Tim Hudak’s commitment to cancel major infrastructure projects would result in even more layoffs and reverse progress made to improve transit, bridges and highways.

Andrea Horwath’s NDP put Ontario’s economic recovery from the last recession at risk when they chose not to support the 2014 Liberal Budget, which would have made important investments in infrastructure and created jobs.

QUOTES

“Ottawa families do not want to go back to the Harris-Hudak days of deep cuts, closed hospitals, crumbling infrastructure and labour unrest.”

• Candidate Madeleine Meilleur, Ottawa-Vanier

“Tim Hudak’s cuts would hurt families, cut critical services and devastate our economy.  His 100,000 Pink Slip Pledge would mean fewer teachers, fewer water inspectors and fewer health care professionals in our community.”

• Candidate Bob Chiarelli, Ottawa West-Nepean

“Ontario Liberals have a record of investing in our public services.  Tim Hudak and the PC’s not only oppose those investments, but are now planning a return to the slash and burn policies of Mike Harris, committing to cut 100,000 public sector jobs. What is most troubling is these would just be the start of the Hudak PC cuts.”

• Candidate Yasir Naqvi, Ottawa-Centre

QUICK FACTS

• The 2002 report by Justice Dennis O'Connor examined the fatal E.coli contamination of the drinking water in Walkerton Ontario. His report showed that the most serious case of water contamination in Canadian history could have been prevented by proper chlorination of drinking water. He also pointed to the region's public utilities managers and cutbacks by the Harris-Hudak PCs as contributors to the tragedy.
   
• In Justice Roland Haines’ report from July 2004 regarding concerns about food safety at a meat inspection plant in Aylmer, he criticized the Harris-Hudak PCs for gutting the meat inspection system in Ontario.  By forcing many meat inspectors into the private sector, vacancies were created for provincial meat inspectors. Justice Haines focused on how those applying for the vacated positions often had little or no experience in the meat industry and fewer and fewer experienced inspectors were on hand to mentor the recruits.

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For more information, contact:
Beckie Codd-Downey
613-700-2707