Workers scored a major victory when this government was forced to repeal Bill 124, which suppressed public sector workers’ wages, after the courts ruled that it violated charter rights. The court stated, “Because of the act, organized public sector workers, many of whom are women, racialized” and “low-income earners, have lost the ability to negotiate for better compensation or even better work conditions that do not have a monetary value.”

Speaker, now, with our public health care in crisis, Ontarians must live with the consequences of Bill 124. In Niagara, we’ve lost after-hour emergency surgical services at the Welland hospital and reduced hours at the Port Colborne and Fort Erie urgent care centres. We have a shortage of beds, long wait times, frequent 911 crises in EMS, unacceptable off-loading delays and health care workers fleeing the sector.

I’ve been meeting with front-line health care workers, including PSWs, and was shocked when some of them told me they were still for fighting their $3-an-hour pandemic pay and pay equity—this despite huge pay increases for managers in the public sector.

After wasting an untold amount of public dollars fighting front-line workers in court, it’s time to start fixing the disaster Bill 124 created by ensuring health care workers are treated with dignity and receive fair, competitive compensation for their work.