On January 27, more than 30 labour leaders from Ontario\u2019s private, public, and trades sectors came together to urgently demand action from Premier Doug Ford in response to the threat of U.S.-imposed tariffs. The coalition is calling for the establishment of a dedicated tariff taskforce and a unified strategy to safeguard workers, families, and industries throughout Ontario and Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoug Ford\u2019s decision to shut down the legislature\u2014destabilizing the province in favor of heading to the polls for his own political gain\u2014is opportunistic, reckless, and irresponsible,<\/em>\u201d said Laura Walton, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL). \u201cIt\u2019s not Doug Ford who will pay the price; it\u2019s Ontario workers and their communities.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe diversity of sectors the IAM represents and the kind of damage tariffs would wreak on the Ontario economy if we don\u2019t focus on that threat is clear<\/em>,\u201d said Kim Valliere, IAM union\u2019s International Representative. \u201cWe don\u2019t need the distraction of a provincial election right now.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The union leaders criticized Ford\u2019s decision to call an election, saying it is a reckless diversion from the real issue at hand. \u201cThis election is not what we need right now. We need to focus on the tariffs that threaten half a million workers. If we don\u2019t act, it will have devastating consequences on Ontario\u2019s economy<\/em>,\u201d said Kevon Stewart of the United Steelworkers (USW). Tariffs threaten vital industries like steel, aluminum, auto, and manufacturing, which could cost thousands of jobs.<\/p>\n Further, workers from all sectors, including healthcare, education, and trades are already struggling, and the tariffs could worsen their challenges. In healthcare, there\u2019s a severe shortage of nurses, with hospitals overwhelmed and patients waiting hours or days to be admitted. More than 1.5 million Ontarians have no access to a primary care doctor or nurse practitioner. The education sector is also under strain, with teachers and staff facing increasing pressures and already struggling to meet the needs of students.<\/p>\n Labour leaders are urging Ontarians to stay focused on the immediate crisis. \u201cWe cannot afford distractions like elections right now. If the elections do go forward, we urge people to vote for workers\u2019 rights and economic stability<\/em>,\u201d said Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario. \u201cWe need a government that works for us and with us. One that prioritizes the well-being of workers, families, and communities<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBad governments are elected by people who don\u2019t bother to vote.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The IAM union was also present, standing together with workers across sectors in the fight to secure jobs, families, and communities from the growing tariff threat.<\/p>\n Kim Valliere, IAM union\u2019s International Representative, also had an interview with Marit Stiles, Leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP), where they discussed the importance of voting in the upcoming provincial elections. \u201cWe need a government that\u2019s going to stand by workers, that\u2019s going to fight for everyday people.<\/em>\u201d Stiles said.<\/p>\n Both Valliere and Stiles emphasized the crucial need to get out the vote in the upcoming election. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be talking to our members, to communities. We need an Ontario that fights for workers, not for the interests of the wealthy and powerful<\/em>,\u201d Valliere said. \u201cThis election is about changing the direction of this province and fighting for the future of all Ontarians.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The labour leaders also highlighted the troubling fact that more than $200 million is being spent on an election, money that could have been used to address urgent matters like the healthcare and tariff crises. \u201cWe need elections that are done for the people, not for personal gain.<\/em>\u201d said a union spokesperson.<\/p>\n If the elections do proceed, unions are urging everyone to vote wisely, as the future of Ontario\u2019s workers is at stake. Together, workers are stronger, and it\u2019s time for leadership that prioritizes the well-being of everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On January 27, more than 30 labour leaders from Ontario\u2019s private, public, and trades sectors came together to urgently demand action from Premier Doug Ford in response to the threat of U.S.-imposed tariffs. The coalition is calling for the establishment of a dedicated tariff taskforce and a unified strategy to safeguard workers, families, and industries […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":31579,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[63,79,67,61,72,62],"class_list":["post-31581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-canada","tag-cdnpoli","tag-dl140","tag-iam","tag-labour","tag-union","post-with-thumbnail","post-with-thumbnail-large"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iam140.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iam140.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iam140.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iam140.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iam140.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31581"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.iam140.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31582,"href":"https:\/\/www.iam140.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31581\/revisions\/31582"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iam140.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iam140.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iam140.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iam140.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}