Under the previous Liberal government, people and jobs in my region were abandoned; the east was neglected. Like many areas of this province, manufacturing is a major industry. We are no strangers to the negative impacts of 300,000 manufacturing jobs lost under their watch because of reckless policies.

What is the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade doing to ensure that the residents in my riding and others in Ontario will have good, secure, well-paying jobs for themselves and for their children for years to come?

Entrepreneurs and those with small business ambitions need support, too. Small businesses and start-ups bring dreams to reality. I know many residents in my riding provide food for their families through their small businesses. Speaker, what is the minister doing to help entrepreneurs in my riding start and grow their businesses?

Yes, the Liberals and the NDP did in fact lose 300,000 manufacturing jobs in Ontario because of their outdated policies, their red tape and their high taxes. In 2018, we promised families that our government would do things differently, and we did. We listened to the businesses, like those in Ajax, and developed plans to support their unique challenges. We introduced a $40-million advanced manufacturing and innovation competitiveness program. This AMIC program supports manufacturing businesses to invest, grow and remain competitive on a global scale and will continue to support Ajax’s manufacturing supply chain through the attraction of billions of dollars in investments, just like we’ve done in the last four years.

Speaker, 500,000 jobs have returned to Ontario, and we will continue to bring back even more jobs—those jobs that the Liberals sent running from this province.

Ajax entrepreneurs now have all the tools they need to grow their businesses. We’re providing $732,000 to the Durham-Oshawa Small Business Enterprise Centre and another $187,000 to support Durham’s Summer Company and Starter Company Plus programs. Those help students and young entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground. All of that is proof positive that Ontario is open for business.