In the Provincial Elections
VOTe for workers
JUNE 2, 2022
Your SEIU Local 2 Executive Board has endorsed the Ontario NDP in the June 2, 2022, provincial Election.
The NDP has consistently voted to empower Ontario’s workers:
- Introduced bills to provide workers paid sick leave.
- Voted to protect minimum wage increases.
- Voted to protect frontline health workers during the pandemic.
The NDP platform includes programs that will improve the lives of everyday Ontarians:
- Raising the minimum wage to $16 per hour in 2022 and up to $20 in 2026.
- Providing prescription drug coverage for all Ontarians.
- Accelerating the implementation of a Dental Care Program.
The Progressive Conservatives have consistently voted against workers’ interests:
- Repeatedly blocked attempts to increase paid sick leave for workers.
- Cancelled the $15 minimum wage increase when they came into office and froze wages for almost 3 years.
- Suppressed wages of frontline healthcare workers during pandemic.
The Conservatives time and again demonstrate they will take care of their friends & business elites.
- Sent almost $1 billion to businesses not eligible for COVID-19 aid or were given more money than they lost [1], and provided private schools and corporations masks and COVID-19 test kits[2] while the rest of us struggled to find any.
- Failed to hold private long-term-care homes accountable and then set them up for decades of profits even though they have seen some of the worst death rates in Ontario[3].
- Gave away $1.5 billion to employers from the Workers Compensation Fund[4] at the expense of injured workers[5] , and increased the new WSIB CEO salary – a Conservative donor and former party candidate – to $440,000 per year.[6]
Graph reference: [7]
Record on Paid Sick Says
Public health officials, mayors, community, and labour advocates, all agree that paid sick days save lives – but Ford’s Conservative Government time and again refused to take action to keep Ontarians healthy and safe.
After months of Conservative government inaction, the NDP introduced Bill 239, the Stay Home If You Are Sick Act [8] The proposed changes would have:
- Permanently provided 10 days of paid leave in a calendar year.
- Provided 14 days of paid leave in a calendar year in situations related to declared emergencies and infectious disease emergencies (e.g., Covid-19).
- Implemented a financial support program to help employers adapt to any increased costs associated with paid personal emergency leave.
The Conservatives defeated the bill 50 to 35 [9] in March of 2021.
Doug Ford and the Conservatives continued to face pressure to provide workers relief and finally amended the ESA on April 29, 2021, but provided only three paid sicks days [10]. It has been grossly inadequate. In the fall, the NDP introduced Bill 8 [11]– a reincarnation of Bill 239 – and the Conservatives defeated it 46 to 30 [12] in November 2021.
At a time when Ontarians needed them the most, Ford suppressed wages of front-line healthcare workers during pandemic.
In 2019 the Conservatives passed Bill 124 [16] – legislation that negatively impacting registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and other health-care professionals. This bill limited wage increases to a maximum of one (1) per cent total compensation for three years. The serious problem of chronic understaffing grew worse as many were suffering from burnout because of heavy of workloads and stress [17].
The choice for workers is clear. Vote for a party that supports workers. Vote NDP.
Endnotes
- https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2021/12/01/doug-fords-government-sent-almost-1b-to-businesses-not-eligible-for-covid-aid-or-who-lost-less-money-than-they-were-given-ag-report-says.html
- https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2022/04/10/just-20-of-rapid-tests-went-to-ontarios-covid-19-hot-spots-star-analysis-finds.html
- https://www.thestar.com/business/2021/07/15/they-were-the-epicentre-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-so-how-did-ontarios-for-profit-long-term-care-homes-manage-to-secure-so-many-of-their-business-goals.html
- https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/02/16/province-to-dole-out-15-billion-in-rebates-to-employers-with-good-safety-records.html
- WSIB cuts to employer premiums spells more bad news for injured workers in Ontario, says OFL. Sep 26, 2018. https://ofl.ca/wsib-cuts-to-employer-premiums-spells-more-bad-news-for-injured-workers-in-ontario-says-ofl/
- https://www.ontario.ca/orders-in-council/oc-1892022
- Toronto Star. Private schools, large firms won big in Ontario’s rapid testing program, while hot spots lost out, Star analysis finds. Page A14. Sun., April 10, 2022.
- https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-239
- https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/house-documents/parliament-42/session-1/2021-03-01/votes-proceedings#:~:text=Second%20Reading%20of%20Bill%20239%2C%20An%20Act%20to%20amend%20the%20Employment%20Standards%20Act%2C%202000%20with%20respect%20to%20paid%20leave
- https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-worker-income-protection-benefit
- https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-2/bill-8
- https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/house-documents/parliament-42/session-2/2021-11-24/votes-proceedings#:~:text=Item%20number%2042.-,DEFERRED%20VOTES,-VOTES%20DIFF%C3%89R%C3%89S
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-ontario-minimum-wage-15-1.6234086
- https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-47
- Figure based on the previous 12 months. At the time of printing the figure available was for March 2021 to March 2022. https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/subjects-start/prices_and_price_indexes/consumer_price_indexes
- https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-124
- https://www.thewhig.com/news/local-news/as-khsc-sees-staff-shortages-nurses-union-calls-for-repeal-of-bill-124
