Ontario is saddled with a set of economic problems that mirror those of Michigan further south: a stagnating, poor-quality job market, low wages, lack of job security, and low benefits. The province's economy is stagnant, jobs are disappearing and poverty is becoming a real issue. However, it has a trained manufacturing workforce and plenty of factories, both potential points in its favor.

With all those problems in mind, Campaign 2000, the Toronto Labour Council and the Ontario branch of the Canadian Labour Congress have issued a new game plan for the province: retool factories, create jobs, and attract investment to make Ontario a leader in green manufacturing. "Government has a leadership role to play providing policy frameworks, incentives and direct support for the development of new green manufacturing and services," the report says.

We applaud the report and support its findings. And it also makes us wonder why President Bush didn't include language like this in his last State of the Union address, where green jobs weren't even mentioned? Why aren't governments already doing this as a matter of course? In the US and in Ontario, stable manufacturing jobs that pay well are disappearing rapidly, as outsourcing undermines the security of those positions - and there are a lot of miserable people all over North America feeling the pinch.

It's clear that environmental responsibility is the way forward, and it's also clear that there's a growing market for goods that are locally (or more locally) produced in a sustainable fashion. It'd be a great talking point for any candidate, so why aren't we hearing more about this?