Opposition to Anti-Social Offensive in Ontario

Province-Wide Actions Mark One Year of Resistance to the Ford Government

St. Thomas, Ontario, June 7, 2019.

June 7, marked the first anniversary of the election of the Ford government, a year which has seen vigorous actions to resist this government's all-sided neo-liberal anti-social offensive. Working people across Ontario held actions, mainly on June 7 and 8, to make sure that they marked this anniversary boldly, affirming their defence of the rights of all and that their demands must set the agenda for the society, not the Ford government's anti-people mantra of "making Ontario open for business." People from all walks of life made clear that Ontarians did not vote for the pay-the-rich agenda the Ford government is implementing. Whether provincially or federally, working people reject governments that claim that because they prevailed in an electoral contest, this gives them a mandate to do as they wish, regardless of the people's demands.

More than 50 actions took place across the province, including many pickets at constituency offices of Progressive Conservative Party MPPs. In a number of places workers organized lunch hour educational programs to inform themselves of what the Conservative government is up to. Teachers, education workers, students, parents, health care and public sector workers and their supporters, as well as those protesting cuts to autism therapy funding were in the front ranks of the actions as too were those organizing for the rights of the poorest and most precariously employed workers. Rollbacks on payments to people with disabilities, reversals on pay equity, cuts to legal aid funding and lack of action on climate change were also among the concerns of those taking to the streets.

These acts of organized resistance are more important than ever, as the Ford government has shown that there is no limit to how low it will stoop to wage its anti-social offensive -- it will cut or restructure whatever it can get away with, no matter the consequences for the most vulnerable sections of society. For example, the Ford government claims it must find $6 billion in "efficiencies" to balance the budget. Working people, women, youth and other collectives have shown that they refuse to be dehumanized and reduced to targets of cuts and the restructuring of the social programs and public services they have thus far managed to preserve. They do not consent to this anti-social agenda being carried out in the name of the people of Ontario.

In a June 5 call for the days of action, Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) President Chris Buckley pointed out, "The Premier's campaign promise that 'not one job' would be lost to cuts was just electioneering. This government isn't even speaking to its constituents. MPPs continue to cancel meetings, and have even called the police on seniors who were peacefully sending the message that they don't want government cuts." The OFL notes that the Ford government continues to cut public services and that funding cuts have led to layoffs in important services like health care and education.

As these actions to defend rights continue, it is necessary that working people address the key question of their political empowerment so as to be able to bring in new political and economic arrangements which serve their interests, not private business interests. This is also important in the context of the upcoming federal election where working people can use their voice to express their demands and take the stands required to defend the rights of all.

Eastern Ontario

In Ottawa two rallies took place, one at Preston Square and the other at the Elgin St. Courthouse next to City Hall, with the latter bringing out some 600 people for a dinnertime action.

Ottawa

Kingston

Lindsay

Central Ontario

On June 6 in Toronto, "Walk-In" actions in over 200 schools were held with the participation of parents, educators and students. These were rallies held outside schools 30 minutes before the start of classes.

In various neighbourhoods in Toronto as well as in the Niagara region, outreach and leafletting blitzes took place.

In Scarborough, postal workers rallied at the Canada Post sorting facility, and another action was held at the Scarborough Civic Centre.

At the other end of the Greater Toronto Area, an energetic march in Mississauga saw hundreds come out to demonstrate their commitment to resisting government cuts to public services, education, health care and decent work.

In Hamilton, more than 200 workers and social activists converged on Hamilton City Hall for a Festival of Resistance. The workers, including USW Local 1005 with its flags flying, declared their continued resistance to the attacks of the Ford government on their rights, whether on the issue of wages, pensions and benefits or health and safety. The Ontario Network of Injured Workers' Groups raised their banner "Workers' Comp Is a Right."

Port Hope

Whitby

Scarborough

Toronto

York Region

Woodbridge

Mississauga

Hamilton

Southwestern Ontario

Activists held a four-kilometre walk from Waterloo to Kitchener to tell the Ford government, "We did not vote for this!"

The Guelph District Labour Council co-sponsored with a number of environmental organizations a rally and march to the Nestlé bottling plant in Aberfoyle, where the company is taking water from the Six Nations aquifer. The action was to highlight the Ford government's opening of the environment to plunder by multi-national corporations.

In St. Thomas, workers from the London area held a spirited rally.

A rally in Chatham at Conservative MPP Rick Nicholls' riding office was attended by working people representing many sectors of the local economy

Participants at a June 7 public forum in Windsor gave a resounding No! to the attacks of the Ford government on social programs. The forum was organized by the Windsor Essex Coalition for Public Education. Keynote speaker was Sam Hammond, President of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario.

Kitchener-Waterloo

Guelph

St. Thomas

Chatham-Kent

Windsor

Northern Ontario

In Sudbury, a vigorous rally was held at City Hall.

A funeral march in North Bay, Finance Minister Fedeli's riding, underlined the devastating impacts of the cuts on services and programs.

North Bay

Bracebridge

Sudbury

Sault Ste. Marie; Thunder Bay

(Photos: TML, OFL, L. Elliott, A. Farrow, M. Wiper, J. Harden, CIPP, A. Farrow-Giroux, N. Drolet, Muskoka Power of Many, J. West, M. Vis, L. Jamieson, C. Matthew, Northumberland Labour Council, T. Balducci, S. McMurray, Unite Here 75, CUPE 905, A. Benhaw, F. Hahn, Autism Coalition, S. Wilson, S. Freund, J. Folk-Dawson, London and District Labour Council, J. Kotsis, M. Dunlop, S. Harris)

This article was published in

Volume 49 Number 22 - June 15, 2019