Solidarity can beat back Ford Tories

Ontario Public Service Employees Union - Syndicat des employés de la fonction publique de l’Ontario (OPSEU-SEFPO) locals in the Peterborough and the Kawarthas region gathered for a “Budget Watch” party on March 26 as the Ford government delivered their budget. Not that there was much to celebrate—that’s what the games and the food were for. Locals 358, 351, 365 and 362 were there, representing workers from developmental services, Fleming College, Trent University and the Ontario Public Service (OPS) component representing those who work directly in the ministries. Activists, retirees from OPSEU and CUPE, OPSEU staff, representatives from Region 3, the OPSEU provincial executive and the OFL also joined.

 

Many who gathered are active in the “Worth Fighting For” campaign of OPSEU-SEFPO and CUPE members in the community sector, who have been organizing and planning for coordinated strike action—if necessary—to demand that the Tories raise their wages. The budget of the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services was a slap in the face to these workers, being slashed by 2.4%.

 

Needless to say, the Ford Tories have provided no relief to any other sectors. Healthcare funding, the largest budget item, is slated to rise to $97.8 billion. It sounds big, but only represents a 0.5% increase for 2025-26, and a 1.5% cut for 2026-27. Hospitals will be forced to continue borrowing privately to cover funding shortfalls. Chronic underfunding has also worsened the self-inflicted doctor shortage, as physicians leave for better-funded provinces, or move on to unaffordable private practices. The healthcare portion of the budget is good news, however, for private providers of public healthcare. “Private Pay” healthcare, for those who can afford it, has increased 38% between 2014 and 2023, with public funding lagging well behind. What we see is a shifting of healthcare costs back onto the public, combined with increasing public funding to for-profit healthcare providers.

 

For students, recently hit by Tory changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) that prioritizes loans over grants (increasing sky-high student debt), there are more cuts to post-secondary education. Funding, after adjusting for inflation and population growth will fall by 1.6% this year, and a massive 10.6% next year.

 

On housing, the Tories have once again shown their contempt for working class and poor people with a $347 million cut in funding to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. They claim to offset this with a much publicized HST rebate. But this will rob the province of $1.4 million in needed funds, while mostly benefiting those buying homes valued above $1 million and developers. There is no relief for workers entering the housing market at the low end, let alone for renters facing sky-high rents due to Tory legislation strengthening landlords (Bill 60).

 

With Spring and Summer comes the wildfire season for those living in Central and Northern Ontario. The Ford government has cut $344 million from the emergency fire-fighting budget, undoubtedly leading to hazier, smoke-filled days — forcing northern, especially First Nation, communities to relocate and making breathing difficult for many and life-threatening for the most vulnerable. These cuts also affect Ontario’s ability to send firefighting crews outside of the province, at a time when the wildfire season continues to worsen out west.  

 

Does it have to be this way? Let’s go back to the OPSEU-SEFPO “Budget Watch” party, where the seeds of a solution can be found. Workers from different sectors and unions emerged from their silos to work together to fight Ford’s corporate agenda. They turned up in force when students mobilized against the changes to OSAP, pulling students out of their silo. They are joining the fights for public healthcare and Disability Rights on the streets, and on the picket lines.

 

We’ve done it before – not by waiting for the next election, and the fine words from the NDP. But by doing what many of us did 31 years ago, when the Embarrass Harris coalition faced down the Tory government of Mike Harris, which, like the Ford Tories, represented the interests of the privileged classes – not workers. They were joined by anti-poverty campaigners, and most importantly, the might of the labour movement. One day general strikes were called in city after city. This was magnificent even though the union bureaucrats pulled back from calling a province-wide general strike, so as not to jeopardize the chances of electing an NDP government.

 

Nevertheless It worked – not in electing the NDP: the Tories won a big majority again. But it worked by pulling together millions across the province to push back the Harris Tory government cuts. We need to rely on ourselves as workers, and to rebuild that solidarity of a generation ago.

 

Here’s a suggestion to our labour leaders – don’t just passively support the Ontario Health Coalition mobilization at Queen’s Park on May 28. Build it big – as a cross sector, cross fightback demonstration, with those fighting for affordable housing, against OSAP cuts, for Disability Rights, against racism and in support of Indigenous Nations fighting for land rights, and a livable environment. It could be the spark that ignites the movement that we need to defeat the Ford agenda.