It has been over two years since 28,000 ACTRA members have been locked out of the national commercial agreement by the ICA. ICA walked out on negotiations. This illegal lockout has been propped up by this government’s hiring of union-busting ad agencies to create ads that further stab ACTRA members in the back by using non-unionized replacement workers, pitting workers against one another.

Speaker, there are over 100 ACTRA members here today advocating. They’re actually fighting for their livelihood. The question is to the Premier. Will the Premier and Ministers of Labour and Culture attend the We Rise Up Rally here at Queen’s Park and hear how their illegal lockout is affecting ACTRA workers, help get ICA back to the table to negotiate, stop using union-busting ad agencies and support our Bill 90 to protect these workers, some of the most precarious workers in Ontario?

Stand up and save the workers.

How in the heck could I forget John Cleland, ACTRA member, ACTRA national councillor, executive committee member, and my friend. Thank you so much for being here, John.

There are over a hundred ACTRA Toronto members here today. I want to welcome them to Queen’s Park. Some of them include Kate Ziegler, ACTRA Toronto vice-president and actor; Asante Tracey, ACTRA Toronto member and actor; Alistair Hepburn, executive director, ACTRA Toronto; and, of course, we see Theresa Tova here. We want to welcome you to your House. Thank you so much for your hard work in Ontario’s creative industries.