Lee Fairclough Outlines Economic Plan for Growth, Opportunity and Responsible Fiscal Planning

For Immediate Release

TORONTO, Oct. 14, 2026 — Ontario Liberal leadership candidate Lee Fairclough announced her plan to build an economy that works for all Ontarians through growth, strong fiscal management, supporting employers and protecting workers. Lee pledges to make Ontario among North America’s top three easiest places to do business.

“People see so much opportunity in Ontario, but they are struggling. They are worried about job loss in the face of tariffs, 15 percent of young people are unemployed, home ownership is out of reach, and the cost of living keeps rising,” said Fairclough. “They want a government focused on making life more affordable, and growing the economy, not borrowing. That’s what my economic plan is about: creating opportunity, driving growth and investing in strong public services.”

The Etobicoke—Lakeshore MPP also outlined her collaborative approach, promising to bring together businesses, workers, unions, educational institutions and training providers to transparently discuss Ontario’s economy and build sector strategies to restore Ontario’s competitive advantage. Fairclough noted that this tried-and-tested, collaborative approach served her well as the chief executive of St. Mary’s General Hospital, where she managed a multi-million-dollar health care budget and thousands of employees, and made tough choices to both balance budgets and deliver results.

Fairclough’s Growing Ontario’s Economy for All Ontarians plan focuses on economic and workforce policy priorities.

• Check the Books and Create a Responsible Fiscal Plan: Work with the Auditor General and Financial Accountability Office to review the province’s books, a first step to balance Ontario’s budget and create a credible fiscal plan.
• Support Ontario businesses: Introduce a Full-Time Hiring Tax Credit for small and medium-sized businesses to hire graduates. Co-invest in Canadian-owned companies with significant Ontario operations to keep jobs and economic benefits at home. Create competitive loan guarantees modelled on the U.S. Small Business Administration so homegrown companies can scale globally. Shift business support from grants to equity and repayable loans, so taxpayers share in the upside, and have government be a “buyer of first resort” so Ontario innovators have a reliable first customer.
• Making Ontario among North America’s Top Three Places to do Business: Standardize and streamline regulations to enable businesses to easily set up in Ontario and stay competitive. Tear down interprovincial trade barriers through mutual recognition of standards and certifications.
• Protect and Support Workers and Skilled Newcomers: Create sector-specific pathways to get students into high-demand careers and develop a skilled workforce for economic growth. Protect gig workers by providing minimum wage and other employment protections, while ensuring contract work remains a choice. Create an International Credentials Recognition Act so qualified immigrants build careers in Ontario.
• Powering Ontario’s Growth: Invest in electricity, energy and infrastructure to power Ontario’s growth while advancing clean energy and technologies to support environmental goals. Prioritize projects by economic return.

“A growing economy is what pays for the public services we rely on, like health care, education and infrastructure,” she added. “But we will not leave today’s bills to the next generation. We need a team approach where government spends responsibly, backs local employers, supports workers, and makes Ontario a competitive economic engine again.”

To read the full economic plan, visit leefairclough.ca/policy/economy.

Media Contact: media@leefairclough.ca