Written by Socialist Alternative members in Ontario.
Doug Ford, Ontario’s new Premier, moved rapidly following his populism-fuelled election victory in which he vowed to be “The Premier for the People.”
Worker’s rights have been attacked. Cancelling the agreed $15 an hour minimum wage increase has cost low-paid workers $1,000 a year. Yet, the province’s highest paid got a tax cut worth $275 million a year. The agreed two paid sick days, wage equity and protection for temporary and casual workers have all been scrapped. Ford stopped the proposed 3% increase in disability payments, returning to the right-wing myth that the best social program is a job.
Housing, already unaffordable in Toronto and surrounding areas, will be more expensive with the elimination of rent control on new housing units, a gift to developers.
Environment took a major hit with cancellation of the Green Energy program, halting hundreds of renewable energy projects. Instead the new Ontario Carbon Trust will pay big polluters $400 million in the hope they will reduce emissions.
Education was returned to the dark ages, with the scrapping of the 2015 sex education curriculum. Now there are plans to undermine the kindergarten system and for larger class sizes.
Health has also come under attack with the elimination of the OHIP-plus Pharmacare plan for adults under 25, leaving many young people burdened with paying for essential medications. There are rumours of much worse to come with plans for a two-tier health system in the province.
Ford undermined Toronto’s democracy, cutting city council from 47 to 25. Oversight of the provincial government was slashed, with the firing of Ontario’s Chief Scientist and the Office of the Child Advocate. Ford eliminated the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and the Anti-Racism Secretariat. Children, Indigenous rights, science and tackling racism are not important in Ford’s “Open for Business” province.
By arbitrarily changing the accounting system, he’s more than doubled the claimed provincial deficit to $15 billion, to justify further massive cuts across all public services.
The election of Ford is part of a worldwide trend of the collapse of centre parties, fuelled by anger at decades of mounting austerity and inequality, and the smug indifference of liberal elites. The only successful answer to the populist right is bold, socialist policies. Unfortunately, in the recent election the NDP did not do this and therefore failed to win the victory that was there for the taking.
While parliamentary resistance to Ford is to be welcomed, the fight back will need to come from outside the legislature – from unions, grass-roots campaigns and youth. We can look to what happened in the 1990s, the time of the PC government of Mike Harris. Within five months of Harris being elected, we saw the first of several “days of action,” (regional one day strikes) organized by trade unions and community groups across the province. Unfortunately, seven months into the Ford government, there are few signs that similar protests are on the agenda of organized labour.
However, there are some signs of hope. Fight for $15 and Fairness remains the most active organization, fighting the minimum wage freeze and cuts to workers’ rights. The leaders of Ontario Public Service Employees Union and Unifor have announced an alliance to fight the closure of the GM and Maple Leaf food plants. Francophone organizations protested cuts to services, with some success. One of the most inspiring actions was the high school walkouts in Guelph and elsewhere on the issue of the sex ed curriculum.
These are a start to stopping Ford by building a strong unified movement that opposes the billionaire class. A successful struggle, building on the tradition of the 1995-98 Days of Action, will take to the workplaces, streets, schools and lands. Socialist Alternative will campaign for this unity in action. We support a bold democratic socialist program to end austerity and root out capitalism that breeds it. 