The other Tony talks about FedNor's future, NDP tactics

NEWS RELEASE

TONY CLEMENT MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR FEDNOR

************************* Statement from the Honourable Tony Clement, minister of industry and minister responsible for FedNor

"Four years ago I announced that, for the first time in the program’s history, FedNor would have stable, ongoing five-year funding.

This has allowed FedNor to develop and implement longer-term planning and has helped the agency deliver for the people of Northern Ontario.

Recently, there have been rumours about changes to FedNor.

Let me be very clear, FedNor will continue to operate at full capacity in Northern Ontario and will continue to deliver programs as it has for municipalities, businesses and entrepreneurs all across the region.

Rather than help promote the vital work FedNor does, two NDP Members of Parliament - Claude Gravelle and Tony Martin - have taken to spread baseless rumours and falsehoods about the future of the agency.

Their self-serving partisan tactic serves no use.

The NDP don’t seem to care that people could take their rumours as truth, and they certainly don’t understand that their actions devalue the essential work the agency does for their short-sighted political gain.

Year after year, budget after budget, the NDP haul out the same tired old rhetoric about FedNor, and every year their assertions are proven false.

What they don’t say is that since 2006, FedNor has invested more than $200 million into Northern Ontario, not including the investments and jobs created through the first phase of our Economic Action Plan this past year.

Our government has just presented a jobs and growth budget that is good for Ontario and for Canada.

We are focused on completing year two of our Economic Action Plan to create and protect jobs now.

Our targeted measures will fuel new jobs in the future this forward-looking action will secure Canada’s economic growth today and tomorrow.

It is disappointing that the NDP Members engage in cheap partisan politics instead of bringing real benefits to the north, but I am not surprised given their track record.

At a time when we all need to do what we can to turn around our economy and get Canadians working, the NDP’s words ring hollow, when compared to the real jobs, and investment for future jobs our government is making in Northern Ontario."

************************* Full SooToday.com coverage of this story

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