During a trip through southwestern Ontario today, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath made a pitch to voters that only her party can be trusted to create jobs.

In the morning, Horwath made stops in Niagara Falls, including at an auto parts plant, where she touted a proposed tax credit that would compensate employers for hiring new staff.

The credit would pay 10 per cent of a new employee’s first year of salary, up to a maximum of $5,000 per hire and $100,000 per company.

The New Democrats say that this could help generate up to 170,000 new jobs.

Horwath said that the program would be funded by finding efficiencies, through a government spending review.

The tax credit is something the New Democrats have pitched in the past, including in the 2011 election.

Later in the day, Horwath moved on to London, where she was to campaign with three local candidates. Afterwards, the NDP leader was due to head to Windsor.

The current election was triggered after Horwath gave notice that the New Democrats would not be supporting the budget brought forward by the Liberals.

Because the Liberals held only a minority position in the legislature, they needed the support of at least one opposition party to get the budget passed. But that was not going to be possible, as the Progressive Conservatives had signalled that they would vote against it.

At dissolution, the New Democrats had 21 seats in the legislature, while the Progressive Conservatives had 37 and the Liberals had 48. One seat was vacant.