NDP: Ontario gains 90,000 jobs since minimum wage increase
QUEEN’S PARK, ON – According to October’s Labour Force Survey, Ontario gained 83,000 jobs on a year-over-year basis. NDP Employment, Jobs, Research and Innovation critic Catherine Fife said that exposes Doug Ford’s repeated claim that a higher minimum wage and paid sick days for workers are “job killers” is made up.
The employment numbers released by Statistics Canada Friday show very little month-over-month change.
“Numbers this month were flat, but have grown by 90,000 since the minimum wage increase and the introduction of paid sick days,” said Fife. “Ford’s administration is not creating jobs — but nothing that Ford is planning to take away, like sick days for workers, is costing the province jobs.”
The October numbers come just before the Ford Conservatives’ avowed dismantling of the wages and small benefits workers have today. Ford’s plan includes cancelling a scheduled minimum wage increase, taking away sick days, and cancelling pay equity for part-time or contract workers — a rule that was helping create full-time work instead of part-time and temp jobs.
Ford has claimed he has to drag Ontario backwards because the minimum wage and basic benefits for workers was destroying jobs.
“Allowing employers to pay part-time employees less will only create more part-time employment. That’s not how you build a strong economy,” Fife said.
“So many people are already behind when it comes to basics like making ends meet, having work-life balance, or basic workplace benefits. Now, as a big favour to the biggest bosses in Ontario, Doug Ford’s is taking benefits and wages away from people who work for a living,” said Fife.
“Because of Mr. Ford’s cuts, workers are now going to have make tough choices. Without paid sick days, they’ll have to choose between taking their kid to the doctor when she’s sick, or keeping the day’s pay she needs to care for her family. Ontarians who work hard deserve more respect than that.”
