Greater Sudbury joined in the fight against Doug Ford and his sweeping cuts, as more than 50 people rallied outside the provincial building this afternoon.
The message was simple: stop cuts and privatization of public services that hurt Ontario families. Greater Sudbury was among more than 25 communities to rally one year after Ford was elected premier. His government is failing Ontarians, says the Ontario Federation of Labour.
“June 7 marks one year of the Conservative government’s devastating cuts and wrongheaded priorities,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Chris Buckley in a news release. “The majority of Ontarians did not vote for this government, and the government must change course and listen to the people of this province. The labour movement stands together with all workers and communities to resist government cuts and attacks on decent work and collective bargaining rights.”
Organizers of the rally contend three-quarters of Ontarians do not support the Tory government.
Charlene Legacy-Saari is the director of Labour Community Services for the Canadian Labour Congress. Having more than 50 people show up for this rally was encouraging, she said, but she would like the number to grow to the point they could circle the block of the provincial building.
“We just want people to gather together and build momentum to fight back,” Legacy-Saari said. “We're all trying to make ends meet and to have a good life, but there's so much holding us back. Every one of us here knows someone — a family member or a friend — who is struggling, who can't afford to go to school, who can't afford to buy groceries.”
The power of many is the point of these rallies, she said.
“Instead of working in our own little silos, we need to gather, network, and perhaps affect change.”
She said she would like to see the number of people participating in the rally grow to the point they can circle the entire block around the provincial building.
The Power of Many is a campaign by the Ontario Federation of Labour and its allies in communities across Ontario to push for protecting public services, equality and justice.
The Ontario Federation of Labour represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.
