OTTAWA, Ont. – Ontario’s Labor Minister Chris Stockwell insists Ontario’s border will be closed to Quebec construction workers; it is only a matter of time.

During a recent Tory leadership debate, Stockwell was moved to make the comments after being badgered by former Transportation Minister Tony Clement.

“Chris, you’re a tough guy, go out there and be tough. You’ve got our support,” ripped Clement.

“Yes, I’m a tough guy,” Stockwell replied, “and yes, I’ll do it. We will make the decision next week to shut the border down.”

Not wanting to be left out of the discussion, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty reminded everyone it was he, as the labor minister of the day, who introduced the Fairness is a Two-Way Street Act, which threatened to ban Quebecers from working on government construction sites in Ontario.

“They didn’t believe us that we would bring in legislation,” charged Flaherty.

Elizabeth Witmer, who also had a turn running the labor ministry, chimed she was the first to meet with construction unions in Ottawa, in an effort to garner a larger share of the spotlight.

“I paved the way and it frightens me that there has been no action since I left the ministry of labor,” she said.

Laughing out loud, Ernie Eves took his rivals to task for debating how to solve the issue.

“Why didn’t they solve the problems when they were minister?” he simply asked.

Stockwell responded to the former finance minister, “Because the Minister of Finance wouldn’t give me any money.”

Despite all of the Tory saber rattling, Jocelyn Dumais, president of the Association for the Right to Work, says Stockwell’s plan to ban Quebec workers will not work.

To get a card and be eligible for construction jobs in Quebec, a worker must be a union member. Quebec workers who don’t have a card often have to work in Ontario or under the table. Dumais and the association believe there should be free mobility between the provinces and workers should not have to join a union to obtain the competency card.

He expects Quebec’s labor minister will call Stockwell’s bluff.

“I doubt if he has any intention of putting those measures into place,” Dumais says of Stockwell.

“There’s a serious shortage of manpower on the Ottawa side and Ontario just cannot afford to miss out on 5,000 construction workers right now.”