The MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex says he is ready to go, once an election is called in the province of Ontario.
“It’s looking like there is going to be a spring election,” McNaughton told the Sydenham Current. “It’s something I’ve been pushing for now for a number of months. We need to change the team that is leading Ontario. We need a government that is going to reduce hydro costs, we need to get the books balanced in Ontario and put forward ideas to create jobs. We have far too many people in our hometowns unemployed right now.
McNaugton added: “We’ve lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs over the last number of years, we have to turn this around and provide hope and opportunity to people. Tim Hudak and the PC platform is going to be about creating jobs in Ontario and reducing electricity bills.”
McNaughton said he was disappointed after reading the Liberal’s proposed budget yesterday.
“I think the people of Southwestern Ontario are looking for a government that is going to put forward a plan to create jobs,” he said. “This morning a million people woke up in Ontario without work. All of us know friends and relatives and neighbours who don’t have a job right now. We need a government that is going to put forward a jobs plan.”
He added: “Secondly, this budget that was introduced yesterday is nothing but a tax and spend budget. It’s taking debt levels, taxation and hydro prices to historical high levels, we’ve never seen anything like it in the province of Ontario. I think the budget was a way for the Liberals to try and buy NDP support, and really just trying to spend their way out of this recession. I’m disappointed and it’s not going to work.”
McNaughton reiterated that the key issue during this election facing Wallaceburg, Dresden, all of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex and all of Ontario will be jobs.
“The most important issue locally is how can we create jobs in our factories and in our small businesses,” he said. “I’m going to be putting forward a number of ideas to getting electricity prices under control, to lowering taxes, to balancing the books in Ontario, all these things will create jobs. We know that the current government is going on the wrong path, when it comes to building thousands of wind turbines across the province. I’ve met with hundreds of people since I’ve been elected who are telling me, whether they are seniors on fixed incomes or families with young kids, they can’t hardly afford to stay in their house because of the rising cost of electricity.”
Depending on what the Liberals decide to do, the election day will be sometime in June.
