For Halloween, Doug Ford decided to get dressed up as a union buster, circa 1930. You know, the type of guy who feels tough when he鈥檚 with a bunch of hoodlums paid by the bosses to rough-up honest workers who just want an even break.
Over the last couple of years, I鈥檝e often attacked Francois Legault for using the 鈥溾�� to shield his attacks on the Charter rights of religious and linguistic minorities. Immigrants and the English have been good cannon fodder for Québec鈥檚 populist premier.
I was therefore appalled, but not completely shocked, to see Doug Ford shamelessly steal a page from his 鈥渁mi Francois鈥� playbook and use the exact same strategy to remove constitutionally guaranteed labour rights. Because, make no mistake, the reason Ford is scheming to use the notwithstanding clause, is because he鈥檚 planning to attack the Charter rights of workers.
It鈥檚 been a long road but Canada鈥檚 Supreme Court has even recognized the right of members of the RCMP to bargain collectively and fairly. It got rid of a retrograde system of the bosses鈥� divisional representatives. RCMP officers now have the rights to have their own chosen leadership defend them and negotiate on their behalf.
Ford is attacking that edifice without a mandate and without ever having the courage to tell Ontarians what he鈥檇 do if they re-elected him. He鈥檚 attacking those on the lower rungs of the economic ladder in Ontario鈥檚 education system. Threatening to remove their right to bargain and to withhold their services. Doing everything he can to continue to keep them underpaid and unable to meet rising costs.
It鈥檚 the type of toadyism that came as a surprise because Ford had done such a good job of hiding his plans during the campaign. From populist firebrand to 鈥渞unning-dog lackey鈥� in a matter of months. Quite a feat.
鈥淟aw and order鈥� Ford has been proven a fraud as he refuses to respect his summons to appear before the Emergencies Act Commission of inquiry. Now voters get to see that 鈥渇or the people鈥� was as much a subterfuge as 鈥済et it done鈥濃�ord is only there for Ford -- not for the people -- and workers are the ones who are done鈥ike dinner!
In the tradition of the demagogue that he is, Ford claims to be all about In fact, what he鈥檚 doing is finding the lowest common denominator and whittling the whole system down to that. With Ford鈥檚 approach, everyone will lose. Students, parents, workers and, ultimately, society as a whole.
Ford pretends to care about families and about the inflation that is robbing their purchasing power. Yet when he has the choice, instead of helping workers, he attacks them, removes their rights and tramples their ability to get a fair wage that would enable them to afford to live decently.
I was an elected official in the largest public sector professional union, the SPGQ, in Quebec during the 1980s. It, too, was a time of financial difficulty and high inflation.
René Lévesque was in his second mandate and incompetent fiscal management was leading to a crisis. The province decided that public service workers, always easy targets, would pay a hefty price to help turn things around. Lévesque ordered his negotiator, a certain Lucien Bouchard, to do the dirty work. Wages of many public sector workers were actually reduced by 20 per cent!
Lévesque never fought another election.
Ford has some tough choices going forward. Never a whiz kid when it came to government finances, he appears intent on taking the easy road and blaming public sector workers for his inability to manage. Of course it was and remains possible to negotiate fair wages that take inflation into account and do what Ford claims he wants to do, preserve the living standard of families.
But Ford鈥檚 concern for working families during the campaign was all for show. Crocodile tears. Now the real Dougie comes out. The one whose backbenchers will give emotional speeches about protecting hardworking Ontario workers from inflation but who uses the notwithstanding clause to remove their right to bargain fairly for a decent wage.
All of the provinces, as well as the feds, face difficult times in the coming year. With Russia鈥檚 genocidal war against Ukraine dragging on, and the full invoice for pandemic spending now being added to the collective debt, there are no easy choices. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so disappointing to see Canada鈥檚 largest province succumbing to the facile anti-union siren song.
Ontario working families deserve better. Turning public servants into scapegoats may be a satisfying short-term ploy. Long term, no one wins when the services we all rely on, from health care to education to transportation are all reduced as a result of short-term thinking and weak administration.
The 鈥淔ord Nation鈥� apparently excludes public sector workers. They鈥檙e likely to remember the lesson at the next election.
Tom Mulcair was the leader of the federal New Democratic Party of Canada between 2012 and 2017
