TORONTO – Marit Stiles, the Leader of the Official Opposition NDP, and Jamie West, the NDP Labour critic, released the following statement on Labour Day:
“This year’s Labour Day is more special and significant than one we’ve seen in years. Everywhere across the province, country and continent, we’re seeing more and more workers stand up for themselves.
Here in Ontario, it’s certainly been the summer of solidarity. It's been your Ontario NDP caucus’ great honour and privilege to visit workers at picket lines and listen to them. Whether it was Metro workers in the GTA, Steel Car workers in Hamilton or library workers in East Gwillimbury – we heard them all asking for what’s fair: liveable wages and safe workplaces.
That’s not asking for too much, is it? Isn’t that what we all want? For our pay to reflect our hard work? Pay that puts food on the table and then some?
It's a concern when even workers with full-time jobs are living paycheque to paycheque, lining up at food banks while CEOs and executives are lining their pockets with profits.
We’re so proud of workers standing up to their employers and this government, telling them they’ve had enough. It’s time the Conservatives visited those workers literally putting everything on the line and talk with them, listen to their struggles and offer them meaningful relief, instead of helping a select few well-connected insiders make billions off the backs of hard-working Ontarians.
The Ontario NDP will continue to stand in solidarity with working people right across this province, because we're in it to win more for workers.”