-

Time for Doug Ford to face reality: CUPE Ontario

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Only three weeks into his 21-week summer break, Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s popularity is crashing. But his response hasn’t been to reverse any of his government’s disastrous decisions or listen to the concerns of ordinary Ontarians.

Instead, he cries “fake” at a recent poll that finds him to be Canada’s least popular premier and casts slurs on the methodology of a professional polling firm.

“This time Ford has not only borrowed from the Trump playbook; he’s stolen one of Trump’s favourite phrases as well,” said newly elected CUPE Ontario President Yolanda McClean.

Ford’s behaviour isn’t new; it’s part of an established pattern of denying reality and gaslighting the rest of us. Ford had the same reaction to three public opinion polls carried out by Abacus Data for CUPE Ontario, the province’s largest union, over the past nine months. Those surveys found:

After CUPE Ontario released that last poll, Ford was reported as claiming that the poll was biased because “CUPE hates” him.

His latest reaction prompted McClean to observe, “Public opinion polls, just like the protest by workers at Ford’s political picnic this past weekend, are the people of Ontario judging Ford on what his government is doing and they’re telling him very clearly: you’re failing, Doug.”

She pointed to a recent report from the Financial Accountability Office that shows the Ford government is “shortchanging every one of us in Ontario by at least $3,200 a year, compared to the average of every other province.” Similarly, CUPE Ontario’s own analysis shows that under the Ford Conservatives, Ontario is last among all the provinces in per-person spending.

McClean had a final message for Ford: “Doug, if you want to be more popular, do more popular things. Stop privatizing our health care. Keep our water public. Bring in a wealth tax to pay for what the people of Ontario need their government to do for them: properly fund our hospitals, our long-term care, our schools and universities, our social services and our towns and cities.”

:kk/cope-sepb 491

Contacts

For more information, contact:
Mary Unan, CUPE Communications 647-390-9839 munan@cupe.ca

Industry:

Canadian Union of Public Employees

Release Versions
English

Contacts

For more information, contact:
Mary Unan, CUPE Communications 647-390-9839 munan@cupe.ca

More News From Canadian Union of Public Employees

Oxfam Canada Board can’t claim to stand for feminism and justice while their workers strike

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two weeks into the strike at Oxfam Canada, CUPE 2722 is calling out the hypocrisy of Oxfam Canada’s Board of Directors and Executive Director Lauren Ravon, who continue to wrap themselves in the language of feminism, equity and justice while workers at their own organization are forced to strike for compassionate and inclusive workplace protections. Oxfam Canada workers have been on strike since June 11 after the employer failed to negotiate a fair agreement. Key issues...

Long-Term Care Workers to Rally for Better Working Conditions and Wages as For-profit Corporation Stonewalls in Negotiations

Markham, ON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Monday, June 29, long-term care workers from across the province will be boarding buses to hold a rally at Extendicare’s head office in Markham. Eight CUPE local unions representing 1,100 long-term care staff are currently in bargaining with Extendicare. The employees are calling on the for-profit corporation to address chronic understaffing, low wages and inadequate benefits - issues directly tied to resident care. Extendicare previously withdrew from talks in...

CUPE: YMCA Engages in Union Busting

EDMONTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--It may be fun to stay at the YMCA – but working there is another story. The YMCA of Northern Alberta has removed three long-term employees who just happened to be leading an effort to get other employees to join the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). The three employees have eight, ten, and twenty-two years of experience working for the employer. Two of them were well qualified for a new position posted one month after the layoff notices were delivered. CUPE h...
Back to Newsroom