Tories champion business, not workers

Re PCs move to freeze minimum wage at $14, Oct. 24 No surprise that Premier Doug Ford and his Harper acolytes will roll back the most important benefits of the Liberals’ belated Bill 148. But it must be galling to working-class Ford Nation supporters to find that their “champion of the little people” has turned out to be a champion of the business community.

Ford and his ilk couldn’t care less about the working class because their real constituency is business and rural Ontarians.

Large numbers of workers face a constant series of work assignments provided by temp agencies, rather than real jobs with some reasonable degree of job security and pay. It is scandalous that workers in Canada are treated as commodities. This is the true cost of globalization.

The real pity is that Canadian companies would rather exploit their workers than increase prices, especially the food services industry.

Wage increases are plowed back into the local economy. Increased business profits are likely to be spent on overseas holiday and investments. Don Buchanan, Etobicoke Since the majority of minimum-wage earners are presumably in the small-business category, and since there are only 124 members in the legislature (a small business), maybe they would consider applying the same rate reduction to their own salaries — $1 for every $14.

The premier’s pay would be reduced by about $14,900, cabinet ministers by $11,800 and MPPs by $8,300. And they should wait until 2024 to get back up to their current salaries. C. Mullally, Mississauga If you want to save Ontarians money, we should stop selling excess evening electricity to the U.S. at discounted prices. We should instead sell that excess to Canadians at a rock-bottom price.

Homeowners and businesses could charge home batteries in the evenings to help power their homes and businesses during the day. The lower overnight electricity costs could also motivate consumers, businesses and municipalities to buy electric vehicles, which would in turn help Ontario to reduce our carbon footprint. Once we become less dependent on electricity during the peak daylight hours, we can sell that excess electricity to the U.S. at full price. Dan O’Neill, Dundas