NEWS RELEASE - OFFICE OF THE PREMIER
*********************** Taking action to strengthen the Great Lakes Region
Premier McGuinty outlines plan for border and manufacturing
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 19 - Ontario and the United States must work together on manufacturing and a safe and open border that supports trade to build a better quality of life for all of our people, says Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. "We must develop a joint vision for the future of manufacturing, back up that vision by driving border improvements ahead faster and finish the job by working together in areas of joint concern," said Premier McGuinty in a speech to the Canadian American Business Council in Washington, D.C.
Premier McGuinty said Ontario's top priority for economic infrastructure is solving the congestion at the Windsor-Detroit gateway. "We must move as fast as possible on a new crossing and I know you will join me in moving heaven and earth to accelerate the design and construction processes in front of us." Premier McGuinty also recommitted to increasing the economic prosperity of the Great Lakes region by continuing to invest in skills, infrastructure and innovation. "By investing in the skills and education of our people, increasing the innovative capacity of our manufacturers and maintaining the infrastructure that makes our region go, we're building a future where knowledge and information, not volume, drive growth." Ontario is the United States' third-largest trading partner, after Canada and Mexico.
Two-way trade between Ontario and the United States amounts to more than $900 million per day.
Millions of jobs on both sides of the border depend directly on Ontario-U.S. trade. "We can maintain the competitive advantage of the Great Lakes and strengthen both our countries. We can compete with the best and preserve our quality of life with well-paying jobs and a future that is bright and worth striving for," said Premier McGuinty. ******************