Ontario Premier Doug Ford was in Cambridge on Friday for Toyota’s announcement of the newest product rolling off the assembly line at its plant.
The timing of the presentation for the RAV4 could not be more problematic for the premier as it came a day after it was announced that Fiat Chrysler was laying off 1,500 workers a couple of hours down the road in Windsor, Ont.
READ MORE: Fiat Chrysler plant in Windsor, Ont., cutting 1,500 positions
While the premier praised the plant during the presentation, he seemed less at ease when the floor was open to questions from journalists afterwards.
The Windsor layoffs came within a couple of months of the announcement that GM was shuttering plants in Oshawa.
Ford was asked if there was anything that could be done to save the jobs in Windsor or if it was an inevitability like Oshawa.
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“It’s night and day. The Oshawa facility, I think everyone knew it was closing,” Ford responded. “This is one shift that’s closing.”
He then said that help was on the way for the Windsor auto workers.
“We have a great team that’s heading down there cross-training,” he said. He then pointed out that there is a shortage of workers in other areas of the Ontario economy.
“Isn’t it great that we have more jobs than people to fill those jobs?” he asked.
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“This is a great thing, not what happened down there but isn’t it great that for the first time in Ontario in I don’t know how long we have more jobs than we have people to fill those jobs?”
Ford said that across the province he is hearing complaints from businesses who cannot find employees.
“Everywhere I am going. No matter if its this region or up in Ottawa or up north or southwest Ontario,” the Premier continued. “Every industry I talk to there biggest problem is we need more people to fill the jobs.
“That’s great news.”
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