WINDSOR, Ont. - The same day Ontario saw one of its worst job drops in decades and one of its most powerful unions declare war on Ottawa, Premier Dalton McGuinty couldn't answer the most pressing question facing his hard-hit province: has Ontario finally hit rock bottom?

"I don't know the answer to that question," McGuinty said in French to new figures showing Ontario lost 66,000 jobs last month alone.

"But from my point of view, we'll always be there for those who've lost their jobs."

November marked the worst single-month drop in jobs in a quarter-century in Canada, with 42,000 Ontario factory jobs disappearing while another 14,000 people were thrown out of work, Statistics Canada reported Friday.

The manufacturing sector's share of employment in Ontario has fallen to 13 per cent -- down from 18.2 per cent six years ago.

There are signs the job numbers could worsen. The province is in the midst of an economic tailspin, hemorraghing jobs in its troubled manufacturing and automaking sectors.

More than half a million Ontario residents are currently out of work, and the province's unemployment rate has shot past the national average to 7.1 per cent, Statistics Canada reported Friday.

Those numbers don't include layoffs still to come. General Motors said Friday it would lay off another 700 workers in Oshawa, Ont., just a few months after announcing the closure of a truck plant that would throw 2,600 people out of work.

Auto parts giant Magna International recently said it would shut down two plants in the province and cut 850 jobs. Other auto parts makers have warned they may have to follow suit.

Both opposition parties warned Friday the huge job losses in November are just the start of the bad news for Ontario.

"I believe what we've seen so far is more the fallout from the financial crisis, and the sort of consumer-driven recession ... is just beginning," said Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory.

"I hate to say that, but I think things are going to get worse before they get better, which is why Mr. McGuinty needs to have some sense of urgency."

Nationally, 70,600 Canadians lost their jobs in November, prompting Canadian Auto Workers union chief Ken Lewenza to throw down the gauntlet to the federal Conservatives and threaten to force an economic stimulus package that suits the auto industry.

Ontario's Liberal government faced the same barrage Friday at the provincial legislature, where opposition parties accused McGuinty of being hopelessly out of touch with what's happening to the province.

The job losses are "devastating," and McGuinty's lack of a job plan and his government's inability to tighten its own belt have left people with no hope, Tory said.

The premier's recent advice that people should go Christmas shopping if they don't want the economy to worsen doesn't offer much optimism, Tory added.

"They will get some hope in part from Mr. McGuinty and his government doing something about the economy, so the notion of him doing nothing, nothing -- no jobs plan, no restraint plan -- I think gives those people no hope," he said.

McGuinty's so-called "restraint" measures for tough times included capping pay raises at 1.5 per cent for politicians and senior bureaucrats -- a move roundly mocked by critics as an insult to taxpayers who are struggling to make ends meet.

The New Democrats also lashed out at McGuinty on Friday, criticizing him for suggesting that people go shopping while entire communities are threatened by job losses.

"These are real people with real families, real communities that are being devastated, and Mr. McGuinty's solution is to tell them to go and rack up credit-card debt and buy products built in China, Japan and the Philippines," said NDP critic Peter Kormos.

"That's absurd. It's silly, it's nonsensical and it's an insult."

Publicly, McGuinty has remained sanguine about his province's economic decline, urging residents not to lose hope despite fears their jobs and savings will disappear.

Every question about the worsening situation inevitably triggers a lengthy explanation of his economic plan, which includes retraining unemployed workers and investing in infrastructure and advanced technology.

His government has also warned they will run at least a $500-million deficit this year, which could grow if they help bail out struggling automakers.

The premier repeated his promise Friday that he'll protect education and health care and won't close schools and hospitals -- even though some are already talking about closing their doors to balance their books.

McGuinty may be more worried than he's letting on. In recent days, his speeches about the economy have taken on the fiery tone of a drill sergeant rallying the troops, as he pressed Ontarians to push on despite the hard times ahead.

"I just think that it's really important that we be honest with ourselves about the economic challenge before us," he told Windsor's chamber of commerce Friday.

"But let's be honest about something else too: we're going to be OK."