Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, has issued a statement to mark Labour Day.
“Every Labour Day, we pay tribute to the hardworking people who are building a stronger Ontario,” Minister McNaughton said.
“Workers are the backbone of our province. You are the heroes building roofs over our heads, keeping our province running, putting food on our tables and caring for the youngest, oldest and most vulnerable members of our communities.”
McNaughton added: “Under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford, our government will always have workers’ backs. Working together with labour and business like never before, we’ve found historic common ground to deliver for the people of Ontario.”
This year, the Government of Ontario is raising the minimum wage to $16.55 an hour, cracking down on the exploitation of domestic and temporary foreign workers, and proposing to raise occupational health and safety fines for corporations to the highest level in the country, among many other changes that will put workers in the driver’s seat of their careers and their lives, McNaughton said.
“Every day, 300,000 jobs continue to go unfilled in our province, threatening to hold our economy back,” he said.
“And each job represents a paycheque not collected and a missed opportunity for someone to build a better life for themselves and their family. Training is what turns potential into a paycheque. That is why we will continue to invest in our ground-breaking over $860 million Skills Development Fund, leading to a record increase in apprentice registrations and helping hundreds of thousands of workers gain the skills needed to find better jobs and bigger salaries with local businesses.”
McNaughton added: “And through our Portable Benefits Advisory Panel, we will continue to move toward expanding benefits like dental, prescription drug and vision care to millions of workers currently without coverage, like those in retail, hospitality and the gig economy.”
The only way we can bring the Ontario dream within reach of more families is by putting workers first, McNaughton said.
“Nobody, anywhere in Canada – or across North America – is doing what we’re doing,” McNaughton added.
“In the coming months, on behalf of all Ontario’s workers, our government will be introducing more first-in-Canada changes to make Ontario the best place to live, work and raise a family. We’re just getting started.”
