OTTAWA – Canada’s unions are welcoming today’s child care agreement between the federal government and Nunavut. With today’s agreement, Ontario is now the lone province or territory that has failed to agree on a deal to bring affordable child care to families.

“Every other jurisdiction in Canada has managed to come to the table but the Ford government is thwarting efforts to reach a deal for parents in his province – and that means over 4 million Ontario families are being left behind,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Premier Ford is dragging his heels and in the process hurting so many working families.”

Bruske said that it is imperative governments work together to help struggling families and urged the Ontario and federal governments to redouble their efforts to reach a deal and start providing relief for families.

“Affordable child care is now within reach for Ontario parents, if only Doug Ford and the Conservatives would agree,” said Bruske. “Parents struggled to find and pay for child care even before the pandemic. It’s so frustrating for Ontario parents to watch their government more focussed on political fights than helping families and children,” continued Bruske.

Bruske added that with the rising cost of living making family essentials more expensive, families need urgent relief.

“High prices and a dire lack of affordable spaces has pushed families to the breaking point – and pushed too many women to the economic sidelines,” concluded Bruske. “Bringing affordable, public child care within reach of all parents, from coast-to-coast-to-coast, is a vital way governments can help make life more affordable for Canadian families.”

To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

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TORONTO – Today’s minimum wage announcement is another example of how Conservatives start talking friendly about workers when votes are at stake, but Doug Ford’s real record is one of putting corporate insiders first and leaving workers behind.

“Behind Doug Ford’s chummy rhetoric, you find attacks on workers and cuts to services that everyday Ontarians rely on. Throughout his 1222 days in the premier’s office, Ford has put delivering perks to his buddies first – not helping hard-working Ontarians struggling to get by,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.

The Ontario PCs have consistently ignored the demands of workers throughout their time in office. When he took office, Ford cancelled a planned minimum wage increase to $15 an hour then earlier this year raised the minimum wage by a paltry 10 cents. Throughout the pandemic, Ford and his party opposed paid sick days.

“Ontario is the economic engine of Canada. But under Premier Ford, Ontario is a laggard, not a leader when it comes to wages. Ontario workers have fallen behind,” said Bruske. “British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon and Northwest Territories all have wages at fifteen dollars or higher already.”

“Ford’s record is one of ignoring workers and imposing pay cuts. The Doug Ford Conservatives wrote a law that imposed a 3.4% pay cut on Ontarians, under current inflation numbers. Doug Ford shouldn’t tell employers it’s fine to impose wage cuts, just when the cost of living is skyrocketing,” continued Bruske. “If you are a youth counsellor in this province, or you coordinate snowplows, or you work as a nurse, or are a food safety inspector – the fact is you are getting a pay cut courtesy of the Ford government’s wage cap.”

“Since being elected in 2018, Doug Ford’s record on workers speaks for itself,” concluded Bruske. “If Ford and his government are now serious about helping working families, they should be focussing on signing a child care agreement with the federal government so women have a path back to the workforce, negotiating a universal pharmacare agreement so workers aren’t choosing between groceries and their medicine, and ensuring every worker in the province gets a fair wage and worker protections.”

To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

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