Mulcair talks about jobs and small business at Dundas campaign stop

Thomas Mulcair made a campaign stop in Dundas on Tuesday to announce a plan that he says will "kick-start manufacturing."

The NDP leader toured Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds on Hatt Street. Then he announced a plan to cut the small business tax rate from 11 to nine per cent, which he says will encourage small businesses to create new jobs.

"Hard working, small businesses like Bienenstock are creating the majority of new jobs in Canada," said Mulcair, calling jobs the "No. 1 issue in the campaign."

Mulcair claims that nearly 10,000 workers in Hamilton lost a manufacturing job during Stephen Harper's time as prime minister.

Alex Johnstone, NDP candidate in the new riding of Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas, joined Mulcair for the tour, when they helped owner Adam Bienenstock build a wooden xylophone.

Outside the grounds, a Liberal volunteer distributed a rebuttal to Mulcair's visit to the media.

The release, which came from Johnstone's Liberal opponent Filomena Tassi, said that only Justin Trudeau has a plan to grow the economy.

"An objective look at their platform shows the NDP is actually doing more to help wealthy Canadians, rather than help the struggling people of Dundas, Ancaster, Westdale and Hamilton," Tassi said in the media release.

Vincent Samuel is representing the Conservatives in the new riding, considered to be a bellwether one in the Oct. 19 election. Currently, the area is represented by Conservative MP David Sweet and Liberal MPP Ted McMeekin.