OTTAWA - As the Harper government continues to delay the launch of the Southern Ontario Development Program, it's clear that they are completely out of touch with the depth of the economic crisis in that region, Liberal MP Frank Valeriote said yesterday.

"It is typical of this Conservative government to announce programs to great fanfare and then fail to deliver," said Mr. Valeriote, the party's Critic for the Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

"Workers, communities and businesses in southern Ontario are suffering. They have been very hard-hit by this. Significant and immediate efforts have been needed to stimulate the regional economy. And yet we've lost seven good months because of this government's failure to enact their own budget," said Mr. Valeriote. "I am calling on Stephen Harper here today to expedite the launch of this program."

The $1-billion Southern Ontario Development Agency was announced in Budget 2009 in January to support economic and community development, innovation and economic diversification in a region that has seen significant job losses, particularly in the manufacturing sector.

"We have yet to see the funding criteria, an application process or details to the program," said Mr. Valeriote. "This Conservative government continues to mismanage and ignore the economic crisis in this region. A day, a week or a month is a lifetime for someone who is trying to get by without a job. We need these programs in place and accessible to our communities."

Mr. Valeriote said what southern Ontario is witnessing is the same thing happening right across the country - and it's one reason why Liberals will no longer be supporting the government.

"This government has had months to address the economic crisis in southern Ontario and elsewhere, and yet they have failed," he said. "Residents in my community and across Canada are fed up with the Conservatives' inaction and dismissal of their plight. We can do better - and we will."