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  3. 2022 Provincial Election Pledge

2022 Provincial Election Candidate Pledge

Polls show the majority of Ontarians support paid sick days, a $20 minimum wage, and decent work for all. For more than two years of the global pandemic, journalists and health authorities have recounted stories about how COVID disproportionately hit low-wage workers, and how workplaces have become hotspots for COVID outbreaks – with tragic consequences. It’s never been clearer that precarious work is a public health hazard.

Our elected representatives must play a leading role in supporting decent work. The Ontario Government must provide proper funding for the full implementation of a decent work agenda. All public services, institutions and not-for-profit agencies must be funded adequately to implement these decent work policies, without a loss in employment hours or reductions in services.

Supporting decent work for all also means making sure income supports for injured workers and those on Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program are livable. COVID has shown us that we all need at least $500 per week in income to survive.

If elected, will you actively support this decent work agenda?

A $20 minimum wage

  • Legislate a $20 minimum wage for all 
  • Protect and extend legislated annual wage adjustments so our wages keep up with rising prices
  • End sub-minimum wage rates and remove all exemptions to the general minimum wage such as for students and farmworkers

Decent hours

Make employers:

  • Guarantee a minimum number of hours of work each week 
  • Offer additional hours to existing workers before hiring new employees
  • Provide work schedules two weeks in advance

10 Permanent, employer-paid sick days

  • Legislate at least 10 employer-paid emergency leave days per year, plus an additional 14 paid days during public health outbreaks
  • Oppose public subsidies for profitable corporations
  • Stop employers from asking for sick notes to access paid sick days

Full and permanent immigration status for all

This means: 

  • Permanent residency status upon arrival for all new migrants, and
  • Permanent residency status for all migrant and undocumented workers already here

Equal pay for equal work

  • Legislate equal pay and benefits for equal work regardless of our status as part-time, contract or temporary workers 
  • Ensure equal pay and benefits regardless of gender, racialization and immigration status 
  • Make employers provide pay transparency in our workplaces so we can enforce equal pay and help fight racism and sexism

Laws that protect all of us

  • Ensure migrant and undocumented workers can assert labour rights
  • Expand the Employment Standards Act to include all workers by closing loopholes and ending exemptions
  • Make companies who use temp agencies, franchises and/or subcontractors, fully responsible for their workers’ wages, working conditions and collective bargaining
  • Protect us from unjust firing (wrongful dismissal)

Protections for gig workers & end misclassification

  • Stop misclassifying gig workers (like Uber drivers) as independent contractors 
  • Repeal the new law that allows companies like Uber to deny gig workers their full rights under the Employment Standards Act

Real protections for temp agency workers

  • Make companies financially responsible under WSIB for the death and injury of temp agency workers
  • Ensure temp agency workers earn the same wages as directly-hired workers when we do the same work 
  • Require temp agency workers are hired directly by the client company after three months on assignment.
  • And to protect temp agency workers from being fired before this deadline, the law must also require employers provide just cause (a good reason) for terminating the assignment if they bring in another temp agency worker to do the job 

Make it easier to join – and keep – our unions

  • We must have the right to join unions by signing cards
  • We must be able to form unions across franchises and subcontractors.
  • We must also be able to bargain across regions and sectors of work (broader-based bargaining)
  • Protect us from losing our wages, benefits, and union coverage when a business is sold or when a new service provider gets the contract (stop contract flipping)
  • Repeal Bill 124 that took away our right to free collective bargaining

Make employers follow the law

The Ontario Government must implement:

  • More surprise workplace inspections
  • Bigger fines when employers break the law
  • Meaningful compensation for workers when employers violate our rights at work
  • Real job protection for us when we stand up for our rights at work

Will you add your name to this pledge?


Decent Work Champions:

  • Pekka Reinio, NDP
    Barrie-Innisfil
  • Beverley Patchell, NDP
    Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Mendonte
  • Elyse Robinson, Green Party
    Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Mendonte
  • Alison Kelly, NDP
    Bay of Quinte
  • Kate Dupuis, NDP
    Beaches East-York
  • Sara Singh, NDP
    Brampton Centre
  • Andria Barrett, NDP
    Brampton South
  • Harvey Bischof, NDP
    Brantford-Brant
  • Karen Gventer, NDP
    Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound
  • Andrew Drummond, NDP
    Burlington
  • Kyle Hutton, Green Party
    Burlington
  • Marjorie Knight, NDP
    Cambridge
  • Kevin St. Denis, NDP
    Carleton
  • Brock McGregor, NDP
    Chatham-Kent--Leamington
  • Marit Stiles, NDP
    Davenport
  • Chris Borgia, NDP
    Durham
  • Mara-Elena Nagy, NDP
    Don Valley East
  • Irwin Elman, NDP
    Don Valley West
  • Tess Prendergast, NDP
    Dufferin-Caledon
  • Natasha Doyle-Merrick, NDP
    Eglinton-Lawrence
  • Andy Kroeker, NDP
    Elgin-Middlesex-London
  • Ron LeClair, NDP
    Essex
  • Aisha Jahangir, NDP
    Etobicoke
  • Farheen Alim, NDP
    Etobicoke-Lakeshore
  • Gabriel Blanc, Green Party
    Etobicoke North
  • Allison Cillis, NDP
    Flamborough Glanbrook
  • Sarah Lowe, NDP
    Haldimand-Norfolk
  • Andrea Horwath, NDP
    Hamilton Centre
  • Sandy Shaw, NDP
    Hamilton-West-Ancaster-Dundas
  • Eric DePoe, NDP
    Hastings–Lennox and Addington 
  • Monique Taylor, NDP
    Hamilton Mountain
  • Laurie Hazzard, NDP
    Huron-Bruce
  • Melissa Coenraad, NDP
    Kanata-Carleton
  • JoAnne Formanek Gustafson, NDP
    Kenora-Rainy River
  • Sol Mamakwa, NDP
    Kiiwetinoong
  • Mary Rita Holland, NDP
    Kingson & the Islands
  • Karen Meissner, NDP
    Kitchener-Conestoga
  • Laura Mae Lindo, NDP
    Kitchener Centre
  • Teresa Armstrong, NDP
    London-Fanshawe
  • Zack Ramsey,  Green Party
    London Fanshawe
  • Terence Kernaghan, NDP
    London North Centre
  • Peggy Sattler, NDP
    London West
  • Kingsley Kwok, NDP
    Markham-Stouffville
  • Nicholas Rabba, NDP
    Mississauga-Streetsville
  • Denis Heng, NDP
    Newmarket-Aurora
  • Jeff Burch, NDP
    Niagara Centre
  • Wayne Gates, NDP
    Niagara Falls
  • Dave Augustyn, NDP
    Niagara West
  • France Gélinas, NDP
    Nickel Belt
  • Erika Lougheed, NDP
    Nipissing
  • Maeve McNaughton, NDP
    Oakville
  • Gabe Bourdon, NDP
    Orléans
  • Jennifer French, NDP
    Oshawa
  • Chandra Pasma, NDP
    Ottawa-West Nepean
  • Joel Harden, NDP
    Ottawa Centre
  • Steven Warren, Green Party
    Ottawa West-Nepean
  • Morgan Gay, NDP
    Ottawa South
  • Bhutila Karpoche, NDP
    Parkdale-High Park
  • Jo-Dee Burbach, NDP
    Perth-Wellington
  • Jen Deck, NDP
    Peterborough--Kawartha
  • Kurt Stoll, NDP
    Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke
  • Michele McCleave-Kennedy, NDP
    Sault Ste Marie
  • Neethan Shan, NDP
    Scarborough Centre
  • Felicia Samuel, NDP
    Scarborough Rouge-Park
  • Doly Begum, NDP
    Scarborough Southwest
  • Chris Glover, NDP
    Spadina-Fort York
  • Jennie Stevens, NDP
    St. Catharines
  • Judith Monteith-Farrell, NDP
    Thunder Bay-Atikokan
  • Lise Vaugeois, NDP
    Thunder Bay Superior North
  • Tracey MacKinnon, Green Party
    Thunder Bay Superior North
  • Peter Tabuns, NDP
    Toronto-Danforth
  • Kristyn Wong-Tam, NDP
    Toronto Centre
  • Jill Andrew, NDP
    Toronto-St. Paul's
  • Jessica Bell, NDP
    University-Rosedale
  • Veronica Javier, NDP
    Scarborough-Guildwood
  • Justin Kong, NDP
    Scarborough North
  • Keith Nunn, NDP
    Simcoe-grey
  • Jamie West, NDP
    Sudbury
  • Will McCarty, NDP
    Vaughan-Woodbridge
  • Catherine Fife, NDP
    Waterloo
  • Diane Ballantyne, NDP
    Wellington-Halton Hills
  • Sara Labelle, NDP
    Whitby
  • Hal Berman, NDP
    Willowdale
  • Lisa Gretzky, NDP
    Windsor West
  • Faisal Hassan, NDP
    York South-Weston
Please note that we are only covering those political parties that have a seat or seats in the Ontario Legislative Assembly.
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