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The Honourable Sinclair Stevens, Leader of the grassrots Red Tory inspired Progressive Canadian Party (PC Party) is pleased to announce that Party President, the Rev. Dorian Baxter, will be the PC Party candidate in the March 19th Toronto-Danforth by-election.

The P.C. Party entry into this by-election has been triggered in part by Stephen Harper’s trip to China this week which demonstrates his lack of judgment. Last time time he visited China he criticized their human rights record, the abysmal working conditions of Chinese workers and their lack of democratic government. But now he wants to facilitate their buying unrefined Alberta oil sands crude. Have conditions improved in China on any of these issues? Are the environmental issues or the need for good-paying long-term jobs in Canada any less? Why isn’t oil being refined in Canada for the benefit of all Canadians?

Clearly China signed a “bilateral” investment treaty with Canada to facilitate their further investing in Canadian raw resources such as oil, gas and potash.

Today there is a growing awareness that it is time to bring jobs back to North America. That is what Mr. Harper should be addressing.

In a current study by Accenture they found “61 percent of respondents reported that they were considering more closely matching supply location with demand location by onshoring or “near shoring” manufacturing and supply.”

That is great news for Canada yet Prime Minister Harper is in China when the real opportunity is to restore jobs in Canada.

The report that Harper’s conservative government is considering closing six of their Consul General Offices in the U.S. shows how out of step they are.

Supply chain analysts at researcher Gartner recently predicted that by 2014, the production of 20 percent of goods now made in Asia and destined for U.S. consumers will shift to the Americas. Canada should get their fair share of those jobs.

The two factors that drove companies overseas, cheap fuel and low cost jobs, no longer exist. Oil has risen from $22.81 in 2002 to over $87 last year so the cost of long distance shipping is up. In the same time period China’s wages have risen 15 percent per year while North American factory labour costs in U.S. dollar terms are down 11%. Similarly Canada’s labour costs are down in a world context.

Harper has his priorities out of order. Our future prosperity is in North America not in selling precious oil to China.

Let’s hear from the voters in Toronto-Danforth on March 19th - A vote for Dorian Baxter will be a vote against Stephen Harper