Leadership Candidate Coteau Commits to MPP Gravelle’s Bill
Leadership candidate proposes integrated measures to enhance prosperity, fairness and affordability
TORONTO, ON—As part of a series of policy papers, MPP and Ontario Liberal leadership candidate Michael Coteau committed to implement “Made-in-Ontario” requirements in line with a recent Private Member’s Bill from Thunder Bay MPP Michael Gravelle.
Coteau pledged, “I will work to implement made-in-Ontario requirements that thoughtfully and fairly respond to pressures from other jurisdictions, particularly the United States. In collaboration with the federal government, and within the parameters of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), we will work to ensure we support Ontario-based manufacturers and producers. A recent Private Members’ Bill by my colleague, Michael Gravelle MPP, serves as an example of how we could work toward this goal.”
This commitment is one of many measures in a thorough plan for the New Economy (https://www.anewfocuson.com/economy), which focuses on leveraging strategic investments in the tech and innovation sector and the transition to a green economy in order to fuel a renewed commitment to fairness and affordability for Ontario families and workers.
“Part of what it means to be a Liberal in Ontario today is to realize that we can no longer stand idly by and let opportunities slip by. We can do far better than a Conservative government that has no vision and no plan for our economic future,” said Coteau. “We must unite our economic growth strategies with a modern vision of fairness and affordability for workers.
“Ontarians want our province to stop missing opportunities, confront our challenges and convert them into positive ways forward. People want politicians to work collaboratively and to break from the trend toward conflicting extreme opinions. People want us to be inclusive and view our diversity as a strength, with a fair and respectful approach in which we make decisions based on evidence rather than partisan ideology,” Coteau argued. “It’s time to transform these shared values into a plan of action for Ontario’s economic future and set about implementing it together.”
Coteau’s priorities for the economy fall into four categories and include a wide range of concrete measures to enhance economic growth and achieve greater fairness for Ontarians.
Investing in the Tech and Innovation Sector
- Targeted investments in the tech and innovation sector
- Harnessing skilled immigration
- Investing in STEM throughout the education system
- Bolstering our skilled trades
- Implementing a new data strategy
- Leveraging government purchasing power to support domestic tech companies
- Digitizing government and establishing a Premier’s Council on Digital Industries
Achieving Fairness
- Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour and tying it to inflation
- Re-launching the Basic Income Pilot Coteau helped implement in government
- Completing the promise of Medicare with pharma and dental care working with the federal government
- Diversifying the public service
- Supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship
- Maintaining corporate tax rates at current levels
- Ensuring support for Ontario industries
- Leveraging the economic networks of Franco-Ontariens
Ensuring Affordability
- Delivering fare-free transit
- Raising the minimum wage
- Expanding Medicare to include prescription drug coverage and dental care
- Implementing an “all-of-the-above” strategy to make home ownership more affordable
Greening and Improving Infrastructure
- Building up regionally integrated transit
- Creating an electric-vehicle charging network, supporting the industry and incentivizing purchase
- Investing in a massive retrofit of public buildings, creating jobs and reducing carbon emissions
- Providing Internet access for all Ontarians, including a utility model if necessary
- Renewing rural, remote, Northern and Indigenous community infrastructure
- Modernizing the planning process
“The premise of my plan for Ontario’s future is simple: our economy must work better for everyone. Government must work in partnership with business and all Ontarians must prosper and benefit as a result,” said Coteau. “I will lead an Ontario Liberal Party, and a Liberal government, that brings Ontarians together to act on our shared values and goals. We must invest public resources where needed to get us there, and that investment must provide results that make a real difference in the lives of all Ontarians. Confidence, hope and optimism for our future are achievable and within our grasp, if we come together and work hard with one another.”
