NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is the third provincial party leader to visit the city this week – and she’s been here a dozen times since the winter  –  perhaps a sign of the importance of the London West byelection.

All candidates and party leaders have been talking about the importance of jobs in London and they’re all striving for the best solution.

And while they may attack each other’s plan, their strategies are all fairly similar.

While Horwath says the Liberals have done nothing in 10 years to create jobs, that’s not entirely true.

The Province’s Samsung agreement has created about 630 manufacturing jobs in Ontario with another 200 expected in London by the end of 2013.

In last spring’s budget, the Liberals also unveiled a youth jobs strategy geared at helping 30,000 young people find work.

But that $300-million plan was spurred by an NDP demand, made in exchange for their vote in support of the budget.

Horwath says the government can do more though: “We’re glad that the Liberals have started to pay attention to us and young people and their need for jobs…we’ve talked about job creation tax credits; we’ve talked about investment tax credits; we’ve talked about Buy Ontario plans.”

Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak unveiled his job plan Thursday in London.

Central ideas in it include tax credits for start-ups and companies making investments in new hires and equipment.

“We need a change in government attitude and policy that says manufacturing are the jobs of the future, not of the past.”

And the Tories are promising 300, 000 new manufacturing jobs at a minimum.

Their plan also calls for reducing electricity rates for industry, tackling gridlock and legislating the rules on union membership and dues payment. It’s something that's become increasingly common in U.S. states such as Indiana, where 300 electromotive jobs moved.

The NDP say that's a slippery slope.

“Mr. Hudak thinks we need to be the next Alabama and drive down wages,” Horwath says.

Ken Coran, the Liberal candidate in the riding wasn't available for comment. But he has said the Liberals have invested $2.5 billion in Western University.

As for the youth jobs strategy, he said, the NDP offered opinions on priorities that Liberals had already identified.