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Fall Economic Statement shows families deserve more responsible approach

QUEEN’S PARK – Today, the Official Opposition explained that the Fall Economic Statement is part of a trend of reckless, pre-election ploys rolled out by the government who cannot be trusted to improve the lives of Ontario families.

“Under this government, life is not getting better for Ontarians. Middle-class wages have stagnated while the cost of everything from groceries to gas has gone up. This government has had 14 years to fix wages, but instead are choosing to be reckless in an election year,” said MPP John Yakabuski.

“Ontario families deserve a more responsible approach.” “Ontario deserves a minimum wage increase, but the government is recklessly pushing forward with this hike as a ploy to buy votes,” said Yakabuski.

“Their plan will lead to massive job losses across the province. It will severely damage Ontario’s competitiveness, and it will make everything more expensive, including gas and groceries.”

Today, the Official Opposition announced that if elected, the increase of the minimum wage from $14/hour to $15/hour will be phased in over a four year period.

This means the minimum wage would increase by $0.25 each year over the mandate, starting in 2019 and reaching $15/hour on January 1, 2022.

“The Fall Economic Statement is proof that the government didn’t do its homework,” added Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli.

“Rather than slow down their minimum wage hike, they are just trying to throw more money at the problem. This band-aid will do nothing for a business with no income or employees left.”

“On top of that, the government is continuing to cook the books in an election year. This will only leave Ontario families working harder, paying more, and getting less,” concluded Fedeli.

“This government continues to ignore the independent experts, like the Auditor General and the Financial Accountability Officer, and continue to plow ahead with their shady accounting practices.”