13,400 manufacturing jobs lost since Doug Ford’s "guarantee" to create 300,000

Economic malaise has turned Ontario from contributor to confederation to equalization recipient

Ontario had 13,400 fewer manufacturing jobs in September 2024 than June 2018, when Doug Ford’s Ontario PCs took power with a “guarantee” to bring back the 300,000 manufacturing jobs lost during the Liberal era.

From providing 14.7 per cent of all jobs in August 2004, Ontario’s manufacturing sector employed only 8.7 per cent of jobs in September 2024.

The number of manufacturing jobs has fallen from 1.818 million in June 2018 to 1.805 million in September 2024 despite 1.6 million more employed Ontario workers.

"You shouldn't have to wait weeks to see a doctor. You shouldn't have to be stuck in traffic for hours every single night," Ford told Ontarians in 2018. "This province has lost over 300,000 manufacturing jobs, and we will get them back. I guarantee you."

Ontario has recently resorted to offering massive corporate subsidies to attract manufacturing jobs. The federal and provincial governments have together provided over $52 billion in public subsidies, over $20 billion from Ontario, to bring $46 billion in private investment to Ontario to develop an electric vehicle supply chain, according to a June 2024 report from the Parliamentary Budget Office.

Economic malaise turns Ontario into a have-not province

From 1975 to 2005, only on the most rare occasion did Ontario have an unemployment rate higher than the national average. But as Ontario’s manufacturing collapsed the province’s unemployment ran higher than the national average from 2005 to 2015.

After a brief return to lower than national rates from 2015 to 2020, emerging from the COVID recession Ontario’s unemployment rate has been higher than the national rate for 48 of the past 53 months, according to Statistics Canada.

In addition to his “guarantee” to create 300,000 manufacturing jobs, other big promises by Doug Ford to spur Ontario’s economy have not panned out.

A promise to create jobs through building 12,500 new housing units per month has fallen flat. Only 206,000 new housing units have been started since June 2018, 144,000 less than the 350,000 promised 28 months ago, CMHC data shows.

A promise to develop the ring of fire hasn’t put any shovels into the ground, instead stalling in court as First Nations, under whose traditional territories the minerals lie, allege the Ford government has failed to consult.

A pledge to stop skyrocketing electricity prices that drive away jobs has only been kept by pumping over $6 billion of public subsidies each year into Ontario’s power system.

Ontario’s ongoing economic malaise has changed the province from contributor to confederation to a have-not province that will receive $576 million in equalization payments in 2024-25.

Ontario jobs were a magnet to workers from across Canada. But starting in May 2020 and in every month since, Ontario’s unemployment rate has been higher than the national average.

Ontario’s economy has become sick. While the diagnosis and treatment may not be clear, what is very clear is this Ford PC government has no plan to fix it. It’s not even talking about it.