Unlike the Progressive Conservatives, who have been touting a "
million jobs plan," and the Liberals', who are proposing a $2.5 billion "
jobs and prosperity fund," direct job creation measures play a smaller role in the New Democrats' election platform.
Andrea Horwath is focusing on so-called "pocketbook issues"—ways of lessening the financial burdens many families face (via measures like tuition freezes and lowering the HST on hydro bills)—but less so on specific employment issues.
Among the measures the NDP is proposing:
- Starting in the first year of an NDP government, offering companies job creation tax cuts, to a value of up to 10 per cent of an employee's salary (and capped at $5,000). The party claims this will generate up to 17,000 new jobs.
- By the third year of an NDP government, lower the small business tax rate to three per cent. (It is currently 4.5 per cent.)
- Offer incentives for the manufacturing sector to upgrade and expand, thereby enabling companies to grow and generate spin-off employment. Few details are provided in the platform, which simply states that "Our plan will reward companies that invest in buildings, machinery, and equipment in Ontario with an Investment Tax Credit."
- Topping up a federal retraining program for workers aged 55 and up. (The amount of the top up is not spelled out in the platform.)
- Launching an "emerging industries fund." Again, details are scarce: it would focus on the high-tech and creative sectors, but the size of the fund is not specified.
The party is also promising some small-scale hiring in the public sector: new funding for 250 nurse practitioners, and up to 2,000 new teachers and educational assistants.
Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source:
NDP party platform