Laurie Monsebraaten Social Justice Reporter
Ontario's controversial harmonized sales tax is "virtually revenue neutral" and not the cash grab critics say it is, argues a new report to be released Monday.
The report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says low- and modest-income families will come out slightly ahead under the Liberals' HST package, which includes increased property and sales tax credits and income tax cuts, while households with incomes above $100,000 will come out just slightly behind.
"No group is significantly worse off or better off as a result of the province's HST plan," said Ernie Lightman, a University of Toronto economist and professor of social work who co-authored Not a Tax Grab After All: A Second Look at Ontario's HST.
Even the researchers admit they were "surprised" to find a vast majority of Ontarians will either be slightly better off or unaffected by the tax changes.
"Assertions that this is a tax grab have no foundation in reality," Lightman said.
Critics have argued the new 13 per cent HST – which blends Ontario's 8 per cent provincial sales tax with the federal 5 per cent GST, and takes effect July 1 – is a way for the province to add $3.5 billion to its coffers. And the higher tax will apply to far more transactions.
The NDP, both provincially and federally, have roundly condemned the new tax.
"It's basically kicking people when they are already down in terms of their financial situation," Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said last week.
"Ontarians have loudly and clearly rejected the idea of shifting the tax burden onto the backs of consumers while giving the corporate sector a huge tax giveaway," she added.
Both Horwath and B.C.'s NDP leader, Carole James, emphasized the overwhelming majority of taxpayers in both provinces oppose the tax, which will increase levies on hundreds of goods and services, including home heating fuel, gas, taxi fares, haircuts and legal fees.
But the Star's David Olive has reported that economists who have carefully studied the long-term impact of the HST calculate that our cost of living will rise only marginally, by some 0.4 per cent.
Meanwhile, the HST is expected to create close to 600,000 new jobs over 10 years.
That would raise annual incomes by 8.8 per cent over that period as the cost of doing business in Ontario and B.C. drops by $6.9 billion. That should unleash private-sector spending on job creation and capital investment by a whopping $47 billion.
The HST will also make private-sector employers in Ontario and B.C. more cost-competitive with the more than 160 nations that already use a harmonized value-added tax.
Monday's new report from the centre, a left-leaning institute dedicated to progressive policy research, says the Liberals' HST tax package – which includes $1.1 billion in sales and property tax credits and $2.3 billion in new personal income tax cuts – will actually add just $133 million annually to the province's tax base, or one-quarter of one per cent.
That works out to a loss of just $37 a year when averaged over all Ontario households.
But the hits will be harder for some than for others:
People who don't normally file taxes, including low-income households and aboriginal people, will be significantly worse off. That's because they won't have access to new tax credits and income tax cuts without filing a tax return.
Seniors are apparently the only group who will not benefit from the tax changes – largely because they already receive property tax breaks, notes study co-author Andy Mitchell, a senior research associate at the U of T's faculty of social work. The cost? Single seniors will pay an extra $15 a year on average; senior couples $150 more each year.
Households with incomes above $100,000 will be worse off by $389 annually. But, the study argues, this amounts to just 0.2 per cent of these higher family incomes.
Families with incomes between $30,000 and $90,000 should be better off or worse off by no more than about $50 to $75 annually, which, given the assumptions and limitations of the data, "amounts to a wash," the report says.
Those with incomes below Statistics Canada's Low Income Cut Off after tax – or $27,210 for a single mother with two children in Toronto – will be ahead by $136 annually.
Households with incomes below $20,000 will be better off by an average of $92 annually.
The centre embarked on the study last fall out of concern that sales taxes hit low-income families harder because the poor spend a greater proportion of their income on taxable goods and services.
"Our biggest concern is to ensure Ontario's poor aren't hurt by the introduction of a new sales tax," said Mitchell. "After looking at the numbers we find the interests of the poor are relatively well protected."
The Liberals have come under fire from both the Tories and NDP for imposing the new tax on hundreds of goods and services which were not previously subject to the PST.
Tory MPPs Bill Murdoch (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound) and Randy Hillier (Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington) staged a raucous 44-hour sit-in on the floor of the Legislature earlier this month over lack of hearings on the new tax.
Mitchell said the report is not intended to refute either opposition party position.
"Debate is fine, but let's make it an informed debate," he said.
"My hope would be that (this report) forces the debate away from the knee-jerk, uninformed charges we've been having towards a discussion of what is really at stake, which is a shift from income tax to consumption tax and from business to consumers."
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Dalton McGuinty quashes any hopes of another referendum on electoral reform
Electoral reform may suddenly be fashionable across the pond, but Premier Dalton McGuinty insists it is passé in Ontario.
With Britain now a-twitter over talk of a referendum on changing the voting system in the wake of last Thursday’s election, McGuinty quashed the possibility of any similar move here.
“We had our go at that,” the premier said, referring to the 2007 Ontario referendum on adopting a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) way of electing MPPs instead of the traditional first-past-the-post system.
Ontarians voted 63.1 per cent to keep the existing system with only 36.9 per cent supporting a radical revamp.
“We had a citizens’ assembly, they came forward with a specific proposal, they considered a number of models, they heard from experts, they met on weekends,” said McGuinty, who had touted electoral reform in his 2003 campaign.
“That was put to Ontarians and they rejected it,” he said Tuesday.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, whose party is the only one at Queen’s Park that backs proportional representation, said the 2007 outcome should not be the last word on the matter.
“It did lose in the referendum, but I would say that the information provided to the people of the province was not as robust as it could have been in terms of giving them the options and giving them a clear understanding of what proportional representation means,” said Horwath.
“We hope that the McGuinty government will change its opinion on that score and that the people of this province will take some time to consider what that means,” she said.
“It doesn’t mean unstable government; it means that your legislature actually reflects the will of the votes that are cast.”
But Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said it’s a non-starter.
“I just do not like the idea of people taking a seat in the assembly who do not represent voters directly,” said Hudak, adding “an essential strength in our system is a direct connection of MPPs with the people who send them to Queen’s Park.”
“Voters clearly cast their ballots against any kind of proportional representation system. Quite frankly, they don’t want to see two tiers of MPPs – those that are directly elected in their constituencies and those that are appointed by political party insiders.”
Under the MMP scheme, which apparently confused Ontarians, there would have been a two-part ballot in which voters would directly elect MPPs in 90 larger ridings instead of the existing 107 constituencies.
On the second part of the ballot, they would have picked the political party of their choice, which would determine 39 “at large” MPPs selected from lists submitted by the parties.
Because those “list” seats would have been awarded in proportion to share of the popular vote, smaller parties like the Greens would have been represented in the Legislature for the first time.
With Britain now a-twitter over talk of a referendum on changing the voting system in the wake of last Thursday’s election, McGuinty quashed the possibility of any similar move here.
“We had our go at that,” the premier said, referring to the 2007 Ontario referendum on adopting a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) way of electing MPPs instead of the traditional first-past-the-post system.
Ontarians voted 63.1 per cent to keep the existing system with only 36.9 per cent supporting a radical revamp.
“We had a citizens’ assembly, they came forward with a specific proposal, they considered a number of models, they heard from experts, they met on weekends,” said McGuinty, who had touted electoral reform in his 2003 campaign.
“That was put to Ontarians and they rejected it,” he said Tuesday.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, whose party is the only one at Queen’s Park that backs proportional representation, said the 2007 outcome should not be the last word on the matter.
“It did lose in the referendum, but I would say that the information provided to the people of the province was not as robust as it could have been in terms of giving them the options and giving them a clear understanding of what proportional representation means,” said Horwath.
“We hope that the McGuinty government will change its opinion on that score and that the people of this province will take some time to consider what that means,” she said.
“It doesn’t mean unstable government; it means that your legislature actually reflects the will of the votes that are cast.”
But Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said it’s a non-starter.
“I just do not like the idea of people taking a seat in the assembly who do not represent voters directly,” said Hudak, adding “an essential strength in our system is a direct connection of MPPs with the people who send them to Queen’s Park.”
“Voters clearly cast their ballots against any kind of proportional representation system. Quite frankly, they don’t want to see two tiers of MPPs – those that are directly elected in their constituencies and those that are appointed by political party insiders.”
Under the MMP scheme, which apparently confused Ontarians, there would have been a two-part ballot in which voters would directly elect MPPs in 90 larger ridings instead of the existing 107 constituencies.
On the second part of the ballot, they would have picked the political party of their choice, which would determine 39 “at large” MPPs selected from lists submitted by the parties.
Because those “list” seats would have been awarded in proportion to share of the popular vote, smaller parties like the Greens would have been represented in the Legislature for the first time.
Ottawa police deny they have suspects in firebombing
OTTAWA—Police say the investigation into the firebombing of a downtown Ottawa bank is continuing, but they deny reports that they already have suspects.
A police spokesman says if there were suspects, they would be in custody.
The Royal Bank branch was hit in an early morning firebombing Tuesday that was videotaped and posted on the Internet.
There were no injuries, but the bank was seriously damaged.
The RCMP says its Integrated National Security Enforcement Team is working with Ottawa police on the investigation.
Meanwhile, an Ottawa group says anarchists are being scapegoated for the bombing.
Common Cause, which bills itself as part of an Ontario anarchist organization, says there is no evidence that the incident was carried out by anarchists.
“We have no idea what the politics of those who did this are,” the group said in a news release. “We also can’t rule out the possibility that this act was carried out by agents-provocateur.”
A police spokesman says if there were suspects, they would be in custody.
The Royal Bank branch was hit in an early morning firebombing Tuesday that was videotaped and posted on the Internet.
There were no injuries, but the bank was seriously damaged.
The RCMP says its Integrated National Security Enforcement Team is working with Ottawa police on the investigation.
Meanwhile, an Ottawa group says anarchists are being scapegoated for the bombing.
Common Cause, which bills itself as part of an Ontario anarchist organization, says there is no evidence that the incident was carried out by anarchists.
“We have no idea what the politics of those who did this are,” the group said in a news release. “We also can’t rule out the possibility that this act was carried out by agents-provocateur.”
Conservatives push back against Helena Guergis
Former cabinet minister Helena Guergis has served notice she intends to fight her party's decision to remove her as its candidate in the riding of Simcoe-Grey County.
Bruce Campion-Smith
Les Whittington Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA – Federal Conservatives say Helena Guergis distorted the truth during a television interview about her fall from grace when she spoke of being in the dark about the allegations she is facing and of her husband’s business dealings from her office.
The day after Guergis appeared on television to talk about her Apr. 9 ouster from cabinet and caucus, Conservative government staff circulated talking points that took issue with her version of events.
Guergis told CBC News Monday that she pleaded with Harper to tell her about the allegations she was facing.
“And I just kept saying, ‘What have I done?” the former minister of state for the status of women recalled asking the Prime Minister.
In fact, Guergis was told the specific allegations by the party lawyer, according to government officials who circulated the talking points, noting that she issued a statement soon after denying “all of the allegations.”
“Ms. Guergis wasn’t telling the truth about not knowing the allegations,” the talking points said.
As well, Conservatives took issue with Guergis’ claim that her husband – former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer – never used her Parliament Hill office or e-mail accounts for his own business.
“He didn’t use my office for anything work-related,” she said in the interview.
Yet Environment Minister Jim Prentice has confirmed that his aide met with Jaffer in Guergis’ Ottawa office in April, 2009 to discuss business on behalf of another undisclosed company.
And documents provided to a parliamentary committee show that Jaffer repeatedly sent emails related to his own work from an account linked to Guergis’ office.
“We have documented use of her office for his private dealings. . . . we have documented use of her email for his private dealings,” the Conservatives say in their talking points.
NDP MP Pat Martin cited “glaring contradictions” that he said undermined her credibility.
“The fact is, we know there was at least one business-related meeting in her parliamentary office (by Jaffer),” Martin said.
Liberal MP Siobhan Coady, a member of the parliamentary committee examining the Guergis-Jaffer affair, said she was taken aback by Guergis’ statements.
“We do have evidence that her husband did use her office and email for business purposes,” Coady said in an interview. “So I was a bit confused when she said that she wasn’t aware that he was doing it.”
But opposition MPs noted that, in the CBC interview, Guergis said she was told that the allegations that led to her demotion in early April were “criminal” in nature. Seizing on this, they renewed demands that Harper spell out what information he had in hand when he pushed Guergis out and called in the RCMP.
For the past month, the Prime Minister has declined to specify what allegations led to his decision.
“Now we’re in the ridiculous situation where nobody knows what these serious allegations are, not even Helena Guergis. Every Canadian thinks that is crazy,” Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said during a stop in Mississauga Tuesday.
The mere fact she had become a political liability was reason enough for Harper to dump her, said Kory Teneycke, the prime minister’s former director of communications.
“At the end of the day, if you don’t have the confidence of the prime minister or your colleagues, you are gone. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that,” he said.
Guergis is challenging a decision by Conservative party executives to remove her as their candidate in the Ontario riding of Simcoe-Grey.
Yet while the television interview is seen by some as Guergis’ attempt to make a comeback, there’s little sympathy within the party, especially after she called the Conservatives “undemocratic.”
Bruce Campion-Smith
Les Whittington Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA – Federal Conservatives say Helena Guergis distorted the truth during a television interview about her fall from grace when she spoke of being in the dark about the allegations she is facing and of her husband’s business dealings from her office.
The day after Guergis appeared on television to talk about her Apr. 9 ouster from cabinet and caucus, Conservative government staff circulated talking points that took issue with her version of events.
Guergis told CBC News Monday that she pleaded with Harper to tell her about the allegations she was facing.
“And I just kept saying, ‘What have I done?” the former minister of state for the status of women recalled asking the Prime Minister.
In fact, Guergis was told the specific allegations by the party lawyer, according to government officials who circulated the talking points, noting that she issued a statement soon after denying “all of the allegations.”
“Ms. Guergis wasn’t telling the truth about not knowing the allegations,” the talking points said.
As well, Conservatives took issue with Guergis’ claim that her husband – former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer – never used her Parliament Hill office or e-mail accounts for his own business.
“He didn’t use my office for anything work-related,” she said in the interview.
Yet Environment Minister Jim Prentice has confirmed that his aide met with Jaffer in Guergis’ Ottawa office in April, 2009 to discuss business on behalf of another undisclosed company.
And documents provided to a parliamentary committee show that Jaffer repeatedly sent emails related to his own work from an account linked to Guergis’ office.
“We have documented use of her office for his private dealings. . . . we have documented use of her email for his private dealings,” the Conservatives say in their talking points.
NDP MP Pat Martin cited “glaring contradictions” that he said undermined her credibility.
“The fact is, we know there was at least one business-related meeting in her parliamentary office (by Jaffer),” Martin said.
Liberal MP Siobhan Coady, a member of the parliamentary committee examining the Guergis-Jaffer affair, said she was taken aback by Guergis’ statements.
“We do have evidence that her husband did use her office and email for business purposes,” Coady said in an interview. “So I was a bit confused when she said that she wasn’t aware that he was doing it.”
But opposition MPs noted that, in the CBC interview, Guergis said she was told that the allegations that led to her demotion in early April were “criminal” in nature. Seizing on this, they renewed demands that Harper spell out what information he had in hand when he pushed Guergis out and called in the RCMP.
For the past month, the Prime Minister has declined to specify what allegations led to his decision.
“Now we’re in the ridiculous situation where nobody knows what these serious allegations are, not even Helena Guergis. Every Canadian thinks that is crazy,” Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said during a stop in Mississauga Tuesday.
The mere fact she had become a political liability was reason enough for Harper to dump her, said Kory Teneycke, the prime minister’s former director of communications.
“At the end of the day, if you don’t have the confidence of the prime minister or your colleagues, you are gone. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that,” he said.
Guergis is challenging a decision by Conservative party executives to remove her as their candidate in the Ontario riding of Simcoe-Grey.
Yet while the television interview is seen by some as Guergis’ attempt to make a comeback, there’s little sympathy within the party, especially after she called the Conservatives “undemocratic.”
Dalton McGuinty goes to Israel to boost trade
Robert Benzie
Queen’s Park Bureau Chief
Dalton McGuinty is making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
But he is doing so in the name of pragmatism and economics, not religion or politics.
McGuinty arrives in Israel this weekend to lead the six-day “Ontario Life Sciences Mission,” drumming up business for the province and learning from top innovators in the fields of bio-technology, water treatment, computers, and green energy.
“I’m not sure there is any place on the planet where the people are more proficient at innovation and commercialization,” the premier told the Star.
As McGuinty strives to diversify Ontario’s economy, lessening its dependence on manufacturing and mining and encouraging new industries, Israel is a useful model.
“ It has been explosive how quickly they have turned on their innovation engine,” he said, marvelling at how a tiny desert nation of 7.4 million people surrounded by hostile neighbours has been so successful.
With the highest density of start-up companies in the world – some 3,850, according to the Israel Venture Capital Research Centre – McGuinty said Israel’s greatest natural resource is its people.
“They’re leaving no stone unturned in creating all kinds of opportunities for young people to access the best quality education,” he said.
“Because of our history we’ve benefited from a wealth of natural resources. Israel doesn’t have a wealth of natural resources so they’ve come to quickly understand that their greatest resource is and always will be their people.”
As the first sitting Ontario premier to visit Israel since Mike Harris in 1998, McGuinty said he wants to bolster the province’s ties to the region by leading the delegation of executives from 35 companies, universities, and hospitals.
“This is at more of a formative stage in terms of some economic alliances. This is a first trade mission. There are 350,000 Jews in Canada, 250,000 here in Ontario and a lot of those folks here have very strong connections to Israel and we intend to take advantage of that,” he said.
“We’re not strangers. We’ve got a lot of friends there, we have a lot of family there. There are many Ontarians who are absolutely devoted to growing prosperity in Israel. We intend to capitalize on that goodwill and develop more economic win-wins.”
McGuinty is mindful of the morass that is Middle East politics.
Singer Elvis Costello this week cancelled two shows in Israel to protest “the intimidation, humiliation or much worse” inflicted upon the Palestinians.
That’s why the premier will visit the West Bank on Thursday and has added a day in Lebanon at the end of his trip.
“The foreign policy there can be complicated and I don’t intend to weigh in on that. But we do feel the responsibility to visit the West Bank,” the premier said.
“Canada is investing $350 million there over the course of … five years and helping build up community and small business and governance and prosperity and stability. I think that serves the interest of everybody in the region.”
Planned stops in Ramallah and Beirut, however, have done little to appease the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association, which called on McGuinty to “press Israel to comply with international humanitarian and human rights laws that protect Palestinians … (and) call on the Israeli government to lift the inhumane blockade on Gaza.”
Still, Israel is his main focus and David Weinberg, director of the Israel office of the Canada-Israel Committee, said the visit comes at time when Israelis are heartened by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s unwavering support for the Jewish state.
“Israel appreciates every display of friendship from around the world very much and Canada is a good friend of Israel,” he said, adding he hoped McGuinty’s visit would highlight for Canadians the medical and technical breakthroughs happening there.
“There are truly exciting and good, sophisticated things going on in business writ large – and by business I include things like medicine and technology and environmental advances.”
That – not politics or religion – is what is drawing McGuinty to the region.
“(On) clean-water tech – they’re pretty well at the front of the curve when it comes to developing and utilizing and exporting water technology … and services. That’s a booming marketing opportunity,” the premier said.
It’s also a top priority for a Liberal government that Tuesday introduced the Water Opportunities and Water Conservation Act, which creates the Water Technology Acceleration Project (TAP) to promote the domestic clean-water industry.
As well, McGuinty said he would be looking to see what lessons Ontario can learn from Israel in assimilating immigrants.
“The Israelis draw a direct line between rate of economic growth and their rates of immigration,’’ McGuinty said.
“They understand that immigrants who have been in many, many cases been trained abroad at the expense of foreign taxpayers, who are arriving with skills and education, are a tremendous net gain for your economy,” he said.
Indeed, about one third of Israel’s fast-growing population is foreign-born and 90 per cent of Jewish Israelis are immigrants or are the children or grandchildren of immigrants.
“We can’t replicate it in its entirety because Israel has had a different genesis, has a different history, it has tremendous support from around the world from its diaspora, which is sending ideas and goodwill and money into that country,” he said.
“That distinguishes their reality from ours. But there are some areas of tremendous similarity, which is their reliance on immigration to generate economic growth, their reliance on innovation to create new opportunities for their people.”
Progressive Conservative MPP Peter Shurman, said while he’s pleased McGuinty is going to Israel, he was “terribly disappointed” opposition MPPs were not able to join the delegation that includes Liberals David Zimmer (Willowdale), Monte Kwinter (York Centre), Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence), Economic Development and Trade Minister Sandra Pupatello, and Citizenship and Immigration Minister Eric Hoskins.
Shurman, whose Thornhill riding is 38 per cent Jewish, said allowing Tory and New Democrat members on the trip would have sent a positive, non-partisan signal of Ontario’s eagerness to do business in Israel.
But NDP Leader Andrea Horwath thinks McGuinty should be concentrating on economic development closer to home.
“The premier should take his trade mission up to Northern Ontario and do something about the opportunities that the north provides but we don’t reap the benefits of because the government’s completely ignoring that area in terms of job opportunities,” said Horwath.
Link: http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/812846--dalton-mcguinty-goes-to-israel-to-boost-trade
Queen’s Park Bureau Chief
Dalton McGuinty is making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
But he is doing so in the name of pragmatism and economics, not religion or politics.
McGuinty arrives in Israel this weekend to lead the six-day “Ontario Life Sciences Mission,” drumming up business for the province and learning from top innovators in the fields of bio-technology, water treatment, computers, and green energy.
“I’m not sure there is any place on the planet where the people are more proficient at innovation and commercialization,” the premier told the Star.
As McGuinty strives to diversify Ontario’s economy, lessening its dependence on manufacturing and mining and encouraging new industries, Israel is a useful model.
“ It has been explosive how quickly they have turned on their innovation engine,” he said, marvelling at how a tiny desert nation of 7.4 million people surrounded by hostile neighbours has been so successful.
With the highest density of start-up companies in the world – some 3,850, according to the Israel Venture Capital Research Centre – McGuinty said Israel’s greatest natural resource is its people.
“They’re leaving no stone unturned in creating all kinds of opportunities for young people to access the best quality education,” he said.
“Because of our history we’ve benefited from a wealth of natural resources. Israel doesn’t have a wealth of natural resources so they’ve come to quickly understand that their greatest resource is and always will be their people.”
As the first sitting Ontario premier to visit Israel since Mike Harris in 1998, McGuinty said he wants to bolster the province’s ties to the region by leading the delegation of executives from 35 companies, universities, and hospitals.
“This is at more of a formative stage in terms of some economic alliances. This is a first trade mission. There are 350,000 Jews in Canada, 250,000 here in Ontario and a lot of those folks here have very strong connections to Israel and we intend to take advantage of that,” he said.
“We’re not strangers. We’ve got a lot of friends there, we have a lot of family there. There are many Ontarians who are absolutely devoted to growing prosperity in Israel. We intend to capitalize on that goodwill and develop more economic win-wins.”
McGuinty is mindful of the morass that is Middle East politics.
Singer Elvis Costello this week cancelled two shows in Israel to protest “the intimidation, humiliation or much worse” inflicted upon the Palestinians.
That’s why the premier will visit the West Bank on Thursday and has added a day in Lebanon at the end of his trip.
“The foreign policy there can be complicated and I don’t intend to weigh in on that. But we do feel the responsibility to visit the West Bank,” the premier said.
“Canada is investing $350 million there over the course of … five years and helping build up community and small business and governance and prosperity and stability. I think that serves the interest of everybody in the region.”
Planned stops in Ramallah and Beirut, however, have done little to appease the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association, which called on McGuinty to “press Israel to comply with international humanitarian and human rights laws that protect Palestinians … (and) call on the Israeli government to lift the inhumane blockade on Gaza.”
Still, Israel is his main focus and David Weinberg, director of the Israel office of the Canada-Israel Committee, said the visit comes at time when Israelis are heartened by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s unwavering support for the Jewish state.
“Israel appreciates every display of friendship from around the world very much and Canada is a good friend of Israel,” he said, adding he hoped McGuinty’s visit would highlight for Canadians the medical and technical breakthroughs happening there.
“There are truly exciting and good, sophisticated things going on in business writ large – and by business I include things like medicine and technology and environmental advances.”
That – not politics or religion – is what is drawing McGuinty to the region.
“(On) clean-water tech – they’re pretty well at the front of the curve when it comes to developing and utilizing and exporting water technology … and services. That’s a booming marketing opportunity,” the premier said.
It’s also a top priority for a Liberal government that Tuesday introduced the Water Opportunities and Water Conservation Act, which creates the Water Technology Acceleration Project (TAP) to promote the domestic clean-water industry.
As well, McGuinty said he would be looking to see what lessons Ontario can learn from Israel in assimilating immigrants.
“The Israelis draw a direct line between rate of economic growth and their rates of immigration,’’ McGuinty said.
“They understand that immigrants who have been in many, many cases been trained abroad at the expense of foreign taxpayers, who are arriving with skills and education, are a tremendous net gain for your economy,” he said.
Indeed, about one third of Israel’s fast-growing population is foreign-born and 90 per cent of Jewish Israelis are immigrants or are the children or grandchildren of immigrants.
“We can’t replicate it in its entirety because Israel has had a different genesis, has a different history, it has tremendous support from around the world from its diaspora, which is sending ideas and goodwill and money into that country,” he said.
“That distinguishes their reality from ours. But there are some areas of tremendous similarity, which is their reliance on immigration to generate economic growth, their reliance on innovation to create new opportunities for their people.”
Progressive Conservative MPP Peter Shurman, said while he’s pleased McGuinty is going to Israel, he was “terribly disappointed” opposition MPPs were not able to join the delegation that includes Liberals David Zimmer (Willowdale), Monte Kwinter (York Centre), Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence), Economic Development and Trade Minister Sandra Pupatello, and Citizenship and Immigration Minister Eric Hoskins.
Shurman, whose Thornhill riding is 38 per cent Jewish, said allowing Tory and New Democrat members on the trip would have sent a positive, non-partisan signal of Ontario’s eagerness to do business in Israel.
But NDP Leader Andrea Horwath thinks McGuinty should be concentrating on economic development closer to home.
“The premier should take his trade mission up to Northern Ontario and do something about the opportunities that the north provides but we don’t reap the benefits of because the government’s completely ignoring that area in terms of job opportunities,” said Horwath.
Link: http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/812846--dalton-mcguinty-goes-to-israel-to-boost-trade
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