This is a critical moment in Ontario

Just because it’s a cliché doesn’t mean this really isn’t the most important provincial election of our time.

After everything we’ve gone through, the first election since COVID-19 is an incredible opportunity for workers and communities to elect a government that will finally build the Ontario we deserve — an opportunity we can’t let slip away.

As leader of the province’s largest union, I, along with our members, have had a front-row seat to the disaster that is the Ford Progressive Conservative government.

I hear directly from workers who are just tired. Tired from being overworked because of the recruitment and retention crisis. Tired of being underpaid, with many facing a wage restraint law that ultimately amounts to a significant wage cut amid historic inflation. Tired of facing an ongoing pandemic without the permanent and sufficient sick days people deserve, and the working conditions we need to safely deliver the services people depend on.

It really doesn’t have to be this way. This is a choice. Whether it’s the Ford Progressive Conservatives, or previous governments, they chose this cynical way of dealing with politics.

The Ford Progressive Conservatives chose to continue a terrible tradition that goes back to previous Liberal governments of spending less on public services than any other province. They chose to ensure that, compared to the rest of the country, Ontario spends $2,000 less per person every year on public services, which meant hallway medicine, overcrowded schools, the highest post-secondary tuition, and highest child-care fees — even before the pandemic. And they chose to expertly present themselves as investing in our future when even a cursory look at projections warns of devastating cuts.

The Ford Progressive Conservatives chose to cut corners to cater to the most profitable corporations and the wealthiest Ontarians. They transferred billions to profitable corporations through tax cuts and measures like electric subsidies — resources we surely could have used for the collective good. And for that, we should make sure that every single one of them loses their seat and never gets it back.

Our union, the broader labour movement, our communities across the province, countless coalition partners, and the NDP have consistently spoken with one voice.

Together, we’ve said that we’ll need to invest in our public services by ending privatization and profit-making in long-term care and home care, stopping the cuts, and ensuring that our public health system includes mental-health supports, dental care and pharmacare.

That we’ll need to make the wealthy pay their fair share by raising corporate tax rates, ending corporate handouts, and instituting a wealth tax.

That we’ll need to strengthen workers’ rights by ending interference in free collective bargaining, legislating 10 permanent and employer-paid sick days, and making it easier to join a union.

That we’ll need to raise wages and tackle the cost of living by paying public sector workers more, repealing Bill 124 and committing to preventing any future wage restraint legislation, and increasing the minimum wage to at least $20 an hour.

And that we’ll need to fight inequality and the climate emergency by declaring antiBlack racism a public health crisis, implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations, and restoring appropriate funding and supports for essential trans health and social services.

We’re at a critical moment in our province’s history. We can continue to go down the road of cuts, chaos and confusion — or we can protect, fortify and expand public services. It’s time to elect a government that will build the Ontario we deserve.