"After all the people of Ontario have been through this last year, this
budget is just classic trickle-down economics and it’s the last thing
communities need,” said Fred Hahn, President of CUPE
Ontario. “They’ll spin this, but the reality is the budget promises a
gush of massive tax cuts and subsidies for big businesses and the
wealthiest Ontarians, with just a trickle going to the chronically
underfunded public services that have proven to protect our lives
and livelihoods.
"There's no recovery plan that does not ensure paid sick days for
all, declare Anti-Black racism a public health crisis and back that up
with a fully funded plan, and fund a vaccination rollout plan that's
accessible to those in our hardest-hit communities. We can't allow
investments to merely trickle down while impacts pool across our
communities.
"Now is the time for bold action and ideas, not a re-hash of the
same old tired strategies that saw us entering this global pandemic in
a weakened position to deal with its challenges. Repeating these
mistakes will only accelerate the financial pressures on our public
services and deepen inequities." [...]
"We've heard countless announcements for long-term care," said
Candace Rennick, Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE Ontario. "What we need now
is action. We need an expedited timeline for four hours of care, a
comprehensive recruitment and training strategy, and the stabilization
of the workforce to help retain current workers. We need permanent
$4 per hour pandemic pay for everyone, full-time jobs, and paid sick
days."
"We're a year into this pandemic and Ontarians have only gotten
clearer about what we need to stay safe and to recover post-COVID-19,"
said Hahn. "Massive benefits for those at the top and little more than
a trickle of investments for the rest of us won't cut it anymore."
This article was published in
Voluem [volume] Number 24 - April 2, 2021 - No. 24
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/WF2021/Articles/WO08245.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
