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Wednesday November 3, 2021

November 3, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday November 3, 2021

Doug Ford’s minimum wage move signals it’s election time in Ontario

Here’s what’s happened to the minimum wage in Ontario since Premier Doug Ford took office: 

•2018: 0 per cent increase.

•2019: 0 per cent increase.

•2020: 1.8 per cent increase (up 25 cents to $14.25/hr). 

•2021: 0.7 per cent increase (up 10 cents, to $14.35/hr).

Series: Young Doug Ford

That record is just one reason why many in this province were both surprised by and skeptical of Ford’s campaign-style announcement Tuesday that his government will boost the minimum wage to $15 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2022. 

The date is precisely three years after Ontario’s minimum wage was due to hit $15/hour under legislation brought in by Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal government. Back in 2018, Ford slammed that bill as “job killing,” his government repealed it and also froze the minimum wage for two years. 

Given all that, it’s only natural that Ford was grilled by reporters at Tuesday’s news conference on why a minimum wage hike that he considered such a job killer then is great now. 

January 12, 2019

“Things were a lot different back in 2018,” Ford told the news conference. “We didn’t have the pandemic, a worldwide pandemic.” 

How different were things in 2018? Not only did Ford’s government freeze the minimum wage, it also took away a guarantee of two paid sick days annually for all employees, scrapped an equal-pay-for-equal-work law and eliminated rules making it easier for workers in some sectors to join unions.

None of this was reflected in Ford’s tone or words at Tuesday’s news conference. “This government will always remain on the side of the workers,” he said.

October 15, 2021

I wrote two weeks ago about how Ford and the Progressive Conservatives are attempting a political makeover ahead of the election next June 2 by portraying themselves as pro-worker. Tuesday’s announcement further proves that this is a key piece of the PCs’ strategy for winning re-election.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) didn’t see the minimum wage hike coming, calling it ‘unexpected’ in a news release. 

“The Ontario government’s surprise decision to increase the minimum wage without consultation comes at the worst possible time for small businesses,” said a statement from CFIB president Dan Kelly. (CBC) 

 

Wednesday February 26, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday February 26, 2020

Indigenous MPP says singing God Save The Queen in legislature ‘a step backwards’

Members of Ontario’s legislature began a new tradition Monday of singing God Save the Queen in the chamber, which an Indigenous politician said is a step backward for reconciliation.

Young Doug Ford: The Series

The legislature recently adopted a host of procedural rule changes, including singing the royal anthem in addition to the Canadian national anthem on the first Monday of each month. It was sung

Monday for the first time since the legislature resumed from the winter break and the new rule went into effect.

Sol Mamakwa, a New Democrat who represents the northern riding of Kiiwetinoong, with a majority Indigenous population, said it was hurtful to hear the anthem.

“As a First Nations person, as a colonized person, it’s a step backwards when we talk about reconciliation,” he said.

Mamakwa, a Kingfisher Lake band member, said he would prefer instead to see some type of acknowledgment to First Nations people in Ontario.

British Monarchy Merch

“I see the revival of God Save the Queen in this house as a step backwards, a shift from modern reconciliation to a past that celebrated the colonialism, that sought the destruction of cultures, languages and communities,” he told the legislature before question period.

“For me, singing God Save the Queen is a celebration of a hurtful and violent colonial past. I cannot be part of it.”

Government house leader Paul Calandra said singing the anthem is a show of respect for the Queen of Canada, who has served for 68 years.

“I believe that Her Majesty … was the first person to show reconciliation to the First Nations,” he said. “Many of our past monarchs didn’t do that. But Her Majesty, over 68 years, has had and continues to have a very special relationship with our First Nations.”

Calandra noted that the NDP didn’t flag it as an issue during debate over the rule changes, though the Liberal and Green members raised it with him in private. (CBC) 

The inking process using the app ProQuest on an iPad