January 31, 2017
Dear Ministers Jaczek and Ballard,
It is widely acknowledged that a meaningful measure of any society is rooted in how it treats and responds to the needs of its most vulnerable members.
In 2008, the government’s first poverty reduction strategy committed to bringing down child poverty by 25 per cent in five years. In 2014, the government made four key commitments in its second strategy:
- Recommit to the original target of reducing child poverty by 25 per cent;
- Move towards employment and income security for vulnerable groups;
- End homelessness; and
- Build the evidence base required to guide effective poverty reduction policies and programs.
While the government has made some significant strides towards poverty reduction, it is important to remember that one person living in poverty is one too many.
On its own, a basic income program will not eradicate poverty nor will it eliminate precarious employment. There is no silver bullet. Instead, any initiative must be coupled with a comprehensive legislative framework for decent jobs, a $15 minimum wage, gender and racial wage parity, a full employment strategy, employment equity, and universal public programs and services.
The Ontario Federation of Labour hopes that the government will continue to work towards creating an Ontario that is decent, fair, and equitable – where no one is left behind.
Sincerely,
Chris Buckley, President, Ontario Federation of Labour
Patty Coates, Secretary-Treasurer, Ontario Federation of Labour
Ahmad Gaied, Executive Vice-President, Ontario Federation of Labour
