Over three years after scratching an existing paid sick leave plan off the agenda for Ontario, Doug Ford’s Conservatives are now parading like they are heroes for the woefully inadequate paid sick day plan announced this week by the Ford government. “The fact of the matter is that the three days of paid sick leave plan just announced is an act of cowardice, cowardice beyond description” says Grey Bruce Labour Council President, Kevin Smith.

“Doug Ford’s political base is not found in frontline workers and workers that benefit from a realistic approach to paid sick time. Yes, some workers do vote against their own interests and vote Conservative, but it is not workers that Ford and his cabinet listen to. Conservatives, like Ford and his ilk, listen to advocacy groups that want nothing to do with improving life for workers, pandemic or not” says Labour Council VP for Bruce, Dave Trumble.

There is no middle ground to this need. Ten days of paid sick leave was required long before COVID-19. To suggest that such a need is now met through three days of non-legislated paid sick days is the repugnant face of Conservatism and the shameful face on enablers like MPP Bill Walker and MPP Lisa Thompson. If COVID-19 does nothing else on the political front, it must show that there really is no place in Ontario or Canada for today’s Conservatism. Today’s Conservative is not about anything but appeasing the rich who have no interest in ensuring the well being of any worker, let alone frontline workers being exposed daily to COVID-19.

“On behalf of the Grey-Bruce Labour Council and the thousands of workers represented at the Labour Council table we must and will continue to call out the shame that must forever be remembered as the legacy of Ford and our local MPP’s, Walker and Thompson” notes council VP for Grey Chris Stephen.

source: media release, Grey Bruce Labour Council