QUEEN’S PARK – Tim Hudak, MPP for Niagara West-Glanbrook, called on the McGuinty government Monday to implement recommendations in next week’s budget – as outlined by the official opposition’s finance committee – that will improve Ontario’s ailing economy and restore the province’s attractiveness for new investment. MPP Tim Hudak grilled the Premier on the lagging economy during question period March 17Hudak, who serves as finance critic for the Official Opposition, used his first opportunity to speak during the new session of the Legislature to grill the Premier on Ontario’s lagging economy. Some 180,000 well-paying manufacturing jobs have left the province of Ontario since the start of 2005, recently including jobs at CanGro Foods in Niagara and National Steel Car in Hamilton. Ontario’s growth in 2007 was the slowest in the country, and all five major banks rank Ontario ninth among Canada’s provinces for economic growth in 2008. “The manufacturing sector in Ontario (had) always been a powerful job creator in Canada until Dalton McGuinty came along,” Hudak said during Monday’s question period. “Premier, as you may know, if you combine all of the manufacturing job losses in all of the other provinces, Ontario's manufacturing job losses still exceed that total.” Earlier on Monday, Hudak and PC Party Leader John Tory released the 2008 Pre-Budget Consultation Progressive Conservative Official Opposition Dissenting Report, which chronicles the McGuinty government’s outdated economic policies and how they are responsible for Ontario’s lagging economy. The report was prepared by Hudak and PC MPPs Toby Barrett and Ted Arnott, all of whom toured the province in January with the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, listening to experts in finance and ordinary Ontarians offer their recommendations for this year’s budget. “Mr. McGuinty likes to blame external factors for Ontario’s economic situation, previous governments, other levels of government, and even the weather,” Tory said during a press conference Monday. “…Many of our problems are in fact made in Ontario by a high spending, high taxing big government approach deliberately chosen by Dalton McGuinty.” In his upcoming budget Dalton McGuinty has a real opportunity to make a difference for Ontario. The PC Party would like to see the Liberals do the following: • Accelerate plans announced in the Fall Economic Statement and eliminate the capital tax for all businesses immediately. • Reduce the corporate income tax rate to a competitive level and provide some tax relief for small businesses • Set and commit to real targets to reduce the regulatory burden on all businesses. • Provide some tax relief for hardworking Ontario families • Begin serious consultations with Ottawa on the subject of tax reform. • Address the looming energy crisis including a responsible plan to replace dirty coal power that will make use of all available new technologies and not compromise our future energy supply. • Develop a strategy to address the looming skilled labour shortage.