"Ford isn't for workers": OFL endorses Andrea Horwath and Ontario NDP following leaders' debate

TORONTO, May 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) affirms workers' support for Andrea Horwath and the Ontario NDP following the leaders' debate. The provincial labour federation represents over one million Ontario workers belonging to more than 1,500 locals from 54 affiliated unions.

"Ford's Conservative government has left working people behind," said Patty Coates, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour. "Behind the photo-ops and slogans, Ford's Conservatives have implemented wage freezes, put workers in harm's way, and protected corporations over people."

At the OFL's Biennial Convention in November 2021, representatives from OFL affiliated unions voted overwhelmingly in favour of endorsing the Ontario NDP. The endorsement was a key component of the OFL Action Plan, which charts a path to defeat Doug Ford's anti-worker government and elect a workers-first majority government led by the NDP.

"As the Official Opposition, Andrea Horwath and the Ontario NDP have proven they're in it for working people," said Coates. "While Ford's Conservative government attacked workers' rights, Andrea Horwath and the NDP have been workers' advocates at Queen's Park. NDP MPPs fought Ford's education cuts, demanded the repeal of Bill 124, and brought forward permanent paid sick days legislation."

The OFL says the Ontario NDP have championed workers' issues. If elected, they will introduce a $20 minimum wage, provide easier access to a union, make long-term care public and not-for-profit, bring back rent control, and return the WSIB surplus to injured workers, instead of corporations.

"After the devastation of the past few years, it's time for a government that will work for the people that make Ontario run," said Coates. "Andrea Horwath and the Ontario NDP know what working people need and they will deliver it."

The Ontario Federation of Labour represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information, please contact:
Melissa Palermo
Director of Communications
Ontario Federation of Labour
[email protected] l 416-894-3456