Church Teaching The Dignity & Importance of Work
The use of one’s gifts to seek and serve God necessarily includes work, by which humans cooperate with God in God’s continuing act of creation. Work has a place of honour because it is a source of the conditions for a decent life, and is, in principle, an effective instrument against poverty. But one must not succumb to the temptation of making an idol of work, for the ultimate and definitive meaning of life is not to be found in work. Work is essential, but it is God — and not work — who is the origin of life and the final goal of man.
The underlying principle of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. The demand of justice, which stems from it, precedes concerns for profit: “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it” (Pr 15:16). “Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice” (Pr 16:8). – 257, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Work is not only an essential part of life, but when we work in accordance with our inner passions – our individual vocations – it is a joy. And it is also an obligation to one’s family, neighbors, and nation. Man must work, both because the Creator has commanded it and in order to respond to the need to maintain and develop his own humanity. We are heirs of the work of generations and at the same time shapers of the future of all who will live after us. – 274, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
But work, and particularly dignified work, is not readily available for all who seek it. Those who are unemployed or underemployed suffer the profound negative consequences that such a situation creates in a personality and they run the risk of being marginalized within society, of becoming victims of social exclusion… –289, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Poverty Reduction
The poor, the marginalized and in all cases those whose living conditions interfere with their proper growth should be the focus of particular concern. To this end, the preferential option for the poor should be reaffirmed in all its force… Today, this love of preference for the poor, and the decisions which it inspires in us, cannot but embrace the immense multitudes of the hungry, the needy, the homeless, those without health care and, above all, those without hope of a better future.” – 182, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Catholics are called to remember Jesus’ own words: What we do to the least among us, we do to Him. – Matthew 25:31-46
“Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs.
The broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work”.
– Pope Francis, Laudato si’, 128
An Economy to Serve People
“I encourage financial experts and political leaders to ponder the words of one of the sages of antiquity:
‘Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs…’
Money must serve, not rule!”
–Pope Francis, Joy of the Gospel, 57-58
The development of economic activity and growth in production are meant to provide for the needs of human beings. Economic life is not meant solely to multiply goods produced and increase profit or power; it is ordered first of all to the service of persons, of the whole man, and of the entire human community. For many people, a living wage and dignified housing are beyond reach. – 2426, Catechism of the Catholic Church
The planning capacity of a society oriented towards the common good and looking to the future is measured… above all on the basis of the employment prospects that it is able to offer. Maintaining employment depends more and more on one’s professional capabilities. Instructional and educational systems must not neglect human or technological formation, which are necessary for gainfully fulfilling one’s responsibilities. Young people should be taught to act upon their own initiative, to accept the responsibility of facing with adequate competencies the risks connected with a fluid economic context that is often unpredictable in the way it evolves. -271-290, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Small businesses, trades, and crafts
The decentralization of production, which assigns to smaller companies several tasks previously undertaken by larger production interests, gives vitality and new energy to the area of small and medium-sized businesses. In this way, alongside traditional artisans there emerge new businesses characterized by small production interests at work in modern production sectors or in decentralized activities of larger companies.
Work in small and medium-sized businesses, the work of artisans and independent work can represent an occasion to make the actual work experience more human, both in terms of the possibility of establishing positive personal relationships in smaller-sized communities and in terms of the opportunities for greater initiative and industriousness. In these sectors, however, there are more than just a few cases of unjust treatment, of poorly paid and, above all, uncertain work. – 315, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Industries, Innovation, & Agriculture
Thanks to technological innovations, the world is being enriched with new professions while others are disappearing. In the present phase of transition there is a continuous movement of workers from the industrial sector to that of services… In particular, there is an increase in…part-time, temporary and “non-traditional” employment… – 313, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Unions & Workers’ Rights
The demands of competition, technological innovation and the complexities of financial fluxes must be brought into harmony with the defense of workers and their rights. – 313, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Any form of materialism or economic tenet that tries to reduce the worker to a mere instrument of production, a simple labour force with an exclusively material value, would hopelessly distort the essence of work and strip it of its most noble and basic human quality. 270-271, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Among the rights of workers, the Church recognizes:
– the right to a just wage;
– the right to rest;
– the right “to a working environment and to manufacturing processes which are not harmful to the workers’ physical health or to their moral integrity”;
– the right that one’s personality in the workplace should be safeguarded “without suffering any affront to one’s conscience or personal dignity;
– the right to appropriate subsidies that are necessary for the subsistence of unemployed workers and their families;
– the right to a pension and to insurance for old age, sickness, and in case of work-related accidents;
– the right to social security connected with maternity;
– the right to assemble and form associations.
– 301, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
The Church recognizes the fundamental role played by labour unions… Such organizations, while pursuing their specific purpose with regard to the common good, are a positive influence for social order and solidarity, and are therefore an indispensable element of social life. Work, because of its subjective or personal character, is superior to every other factor connected with productivity; this principle applies, in particular, with regard to capital.
The Church’s social doctrine teaches that relations within the world of work must be marked by cooperation: hatred and attempts to eliminate the other are completely unacceptable. This is also the case because in every social system both “labour” and “capital” represent indispensable components of the process of production.
No Christian, in light of the fact that he belongs to a united and fraternal community, should feel that he has the right not to work and to live at the expense of others (cf. 2 Thes 3:6-12). Rather, all are charged… to make it a point of honour to work with their own hands, so as to be dependent on nobody (1 Thes 4:12), and to practise a solidarity which is also material by sharing the fruits of their labour with “those in need” (Eph 4:28). – 264, 305-307, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Corporations & Competition, and Consumers
You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
– the 10th Commandment
The individual profit of an economic enterprise, although legitimate, must never become the sole objective. Social utility is an objective of even higher order. When the free market carries out the important functions mentioned above it becomes a service to the common good and to integral human development. When focused on profit alone, however, the market can degenerate into an inhuman and alienating institution, with uncontrollable repercussions.
Freedom in the economic sector… must be regulated by appropriate legal norms so that it will be placed at the service of integral human freedom… A great deal of educational and cultural work is urgently needed, including the education of consumers in the responsible use of their power of choice, the formation of a strong sense of responsibility among producers and among people in the mass media in particular, as well as necessary intervention by public authorities. In order to balance the principle of solidarity with the rights and obligations of the individual, the State’s intervention in the economic environment must be neither invasive nor absent, but commensurate with society’s real needs. “The State has a duty to sustain business activities by creating conditions which will ensure job opportunities, by stimulating those activities where they are lacking or by supporting them in moments of crisis. The State has the further right to intervene when particular monopolies create delays or obstacles to development. -305-307, 351, 376 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
There is a growing loss of the sense of history, which leads to even further breakup. A kind of “deconstructionism”, whereby human freedom claims to create everything starting from zero, is making headway in today’s culture. The one thing it leaves in its wake is the drive to limitless consumption and expressions of empty individualism –12, Fratelli Tutti
Transportation & Infrastructure
The demands of the common good… are strictly connected to respect for and the integral promotion of the person and his fundamental rights. Among other things, these demands concern commitment to the provision of essential services to all, some of which are at the same time human rights: food, housing, work, education and access to culture, transportation… -166, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Green Party of Ontario Dignity of Work
The party states that:
– it believes it is a false choice to pit economic growth against environmental and social well-being
– its vision is of a modern, sustainable, prosperous economy powered by vibrant local businesses and communities
Poverty Reduction
The party states that:
– income equality is growing
– instead of duplicating services and setting up a humiliating and confusing maze of paperwork and ever-changing criteria for those in need
– it as always championed a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG), in order not only to alleviate poverty, but to eliminate the red tape people in poverty experience navigating a complex set of services
– a basic income guarantee will also provide basic economic security to help low income entrepreneurs start new businesses
The party advocates:
– as a move towards a Basic Income Guarantee for all Ontarians, providing a benefit rate at 100% of the Low Income Measure as a Basic Income Guarantee for all Ontarians, to provide every person security at times of transition such as going back to school, job loss, or starting a family
– improving on the previous pilot setting the benefit rate at the Low Income Cut off and by lowering the tax back rate to reduce penalties for increases in employment income
– in the interim, immediately increasing Ontario Disability Support Payment and Ontario Works payments toward rates that match the low income measure to address the inadequacy of current social programs
– extending health benefits (e.g. Assistive Devices Program, Medical Transportation) to cover low income Ontarians outside of the social assistance system
– supporting universal dental care and pharmacare
– ensuring that social assistance programs are responsive to the needs of people unemployed workers and those with mental health and addictions-related disabilities by ensuring eligibility criteria recognize their illness and that payments are not interrupted during times of transition (e.g. hospitalization, incarceration)
– increasing the existing Ontario Child Benefit to help families who live in poverty.
Housing
The party advocates:
– expanding tools available for municipalities, including density bonuses, to provide incentives for the development of affordable housing beyond the minimum requirement and remove requirements for municipalities to compensate developers
– re-introducing the brownfield remediation fund to redevelop existing land into commercial or residential properties
– creation of a provincial coordinated access point for all affordable housing options available to create a streamlined application for waitlist and placement
– ending the Tarion monopoly that is failing to provide adequate warranty protection for new home buyers and to regulate builders, and introduce a competitive multi-provider model for warranty protection
– using a “housing first” approach to develop dedicated supportive housing for people with mental health and addictions issues, physical disabilities, or acquired brain injuries, who are homeless or at risk of homelessness
– providing funding for municipalities to renovate deteriorating social housing stock and introduce new social housing units in their communities to address unmet local need
– working with the Government of Canada to increase support for proposed and existing social non-profit and co-operative housing
– evaluating the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program (ISHP) and working closely with the Government of Canada and Indigenous housing providers to ensure that Indigenous people have access to adequate affordable housing
– increasing the number of secondary women’s shelters in Ontario, particularly in the north. The total number of beds in Ontario decreased from 2014 to 2016
– working with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to expedite the announced portable housing benefit that will assist women fleeing violence to move to another province, and to find affordable housing in another province if needed
Jobs, Unions & Employment
The party states that
– Ontario needs to replace 300,000 manufacturing jobs lost in recent years
– investing in the clean economy is essential to remain competitive and to building a vibrant green middle class
The party advocates:
– supporting workers in transition through the implementation of the Basic Income Guarantee, to help people adjust to a fast changing work environment
– supporting adult education provided by local and non-profit organizations that seek to address a skill gap present in the local community, to assist individuals in kick starting their own small enterprises, or to transition between jobs/careers
– enhancing funding for adult education and online digital learning tools by providing additional financial support so that ability to pay is not an impediment to people building their skills
– exploring avenues to allow seniors to participate in post secondary education at a reduced cost
– supporting a Green Building Program to create jobs while helping homeowners, renters and businesses save money by reducing their energy use
– implementing the most efficient and effective carbon pricing mechanism to create market incentives for low carbon products, services and businesses
– providing incentives for businesses investing in energy efficient and low carbon equipment, buildings and vehicle fleets
– implementing incentives for businesses that participate in training and certification programs in job growth areas such as green building, biomedical technology, renewable energy and sustainable transportation
– redirecting existing business support programs to target the scale up of cleantech companies and innovation
– reviewing government regulations to ensure the regulatory environment does not create barriers to the adoption of green technologies, practices and businesses
– establishing government procurement rules with criteria to purchase low carbon products and services
– working with manufacturers to support re-tooling the Ontario manufacturing cluster and adapt to powerful new advances, in robotics, 3D materials printing and laser cutting
– using incentives to support the rapid prototyping of new products that will enhance the competitiveness of Ontario manufacturers and attract new business opportunities
– increased funding for licensed child care spaces
– closing of loopholes that can lead to precarious work, including stricter regulations relating to the temp agency industry
– recognizing the positive role unions have played in the economy, particularly in enhancing safety in the workplace, and encouraging opportunities to increase union density
– promoting democracy in unions and workplaces, and support the democratic right of unions and workers to be engaged in determining their dues structure
– making OHIP available to all Ontario residents, including migrant and temporary foreign workers, and ending the 3 month waiting period
– requiring all company pension plans to be fully funded to meet all their pension obligations in the event of bankruptcy, and to eliminate pension fund deficits within 5 years
– overhauling the workplace insurance regime to ensure workers receive help when they need it the most
– supporting and incentivizing organization of freelance workers to join together in associations that allow them to access group benefits
Consumers
The party advocates:
– implementing a Well-being Measurements Act to identify indicators of the economic, social and environmental well-being of people, communities and ecosystems in Ontario
Industries, Corporations
The party advocates:
– supporting businesses focusing on the triple bottom line (people, planet, profits) by amending the Ontario Business Corporations Act to add provisions authorizing incorporation of benefit corporations
– modernizing the Co-operative Corporations Act to reflect current business conditions and to help co-op businesses thrive
– setting up a social enterprise foundation to foster the development of triple bottom line businesses by providing grants and loans for young people in post-secondary education settings and in the workforce to develop their innovative ideas and bring socially impactful products and services to market
– creating a non-profit sector workforce development strategy and modernized, stable funding model for the non-profit sector to make operations more efficient
Small & Local Businesses
The party states that local businesses are an essential part of building vibrant, livable communities
The party advocates:
– helping new businesses scale up and sustain their growth by supporting the development of new programs that help foster ‘intra-preneurial’ skills encouraging and developing new ideas from within, in a low-risk/ high-reward environment
– supporting small business development opportunities for ‘senior-preneurs’ both online and through existing Regional Innovation Centres across the province
– providing an option for employers to receive up-front subsidies when hiring co-op students as an alternative to the Co-operative Education Tax Credits
– modernizing the apprenticeship application process by leveraging the Ontario College Application Service to provide candidates with an electronic, single-entry access to the apprenticeship application and registration process
– expanding and investing in apprenticeship and training programs, including incentives for businesses to participate in apprenticeship, mentoring and co-op programs
– reducing the ratio of journey people to apprentices to one to one in order to open more jobs and training opportunities for our youth and workers seeking new career options
– establishing a progressive fee schedule based on the earnings opportunities for each trade.
Clean Tech
The party advocates:
– support for public funding of research and development in order to incubate innovation, particularly in clean technology and knowledge services
– establishment of provincial government procurement rules to support made in Ontario cleantech products to facilitate commercialization of Ontario innovation
– providing incentives to commercialize new clean economy products
– creation of investment tools, such as Community Bonds for local innovators that are RRSP and TFSA eligible
Ontario Liberal Party The Dignity & Importance of Work
The party states that the government’s job is to make sure that every person in the province has the skills and tools they need to get ahead and lead happy, healthy lives.
Poverty Reduction
The party states that:
– the provincial economy is strong, but not everyone is doing well
– it believes that caring for one another means helping the most vulnerable in our society as they try to get ahead
– during its last term in office, it enhanced social assistance, increased the minimum wage, made prescription drugs free for children and youth and expanded access to affordable housing
– in 2017 it launched an internationally recognized three-year pilot to examine whether a basic income is a better way to support people through a changing and dynamic labour market
The party advocates:
– increasing social assistance rates for both Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program by three per cent a year
– improving support for homeless and vulnerably-housed people
– in order to help those on support keep more of their employment income, increasing the earnings exemption, exempting other sources of income and moving toward an annual calculation
– to make the social assistance program more respectful and less intrusive, simplifying rules governing social assistance programs
– working with Indigenous partners to improve access to culturally appropriate social assistance services
– continuing to evaluate the impact of the basic income pilot in the Hamilton area, Thunder Bay and Lindsay
– beginning consultations on an updated Poverty Reduction Strategy
– mandating equal pay for part-time, casual or seasonal workers doing the same job as full-time employees
– mandating equal pay for temporary help agency employees doing the same job as employees at the agencies’ clients
– expanding personal emergency leave to 10 days per calendar year, including two paid days
– increasing minimum vacation time to three weeks after five years with the same employer
– allowing an employee to take up to 17 weeks of leave, including five paid days, when the worker or their child has experienced or is threatened with domestic or sexual violence
– banning employers from requiring a physician’s sick note from an employee taking personal emergency leave
– making employee scheduling fairer, including requiring employees to be paid for three hours of work if their shift is cancelled within 48 hours of its scheduled start time
– establishing card-based union certification for industries with particularly vulnerable and disparate workforces
– creating a new Occupational Disease Response Plan
– guaranteeing injured workers’ benefits keep pace with the cost of living
– reviewing mandatory Workplace Safety and Insurance Board coverage examining whether the current exclusions are appropriate
– removing secrecy in the hiring practices in the workplace with respect to gender and rates of pay
– to enhanced safety for those working at heights, improved regulations and a new construction safety health and action plan
– legislation to establish a fair wage policy with a robust enforcement mechanism to ensure workers hired through government construction or building services contracts are paid a fair wage
– striking a task force to review the federal government’s second parent leave policy and identify ways to ensure that parents can benefit from time with their newborn child and are able to share the care
– reducing hydro costs by spreading out costs to modernize the energy system and reduce harmful environmental effects, so that:
– residential hydro bills can be cut 25%, and by 40-50% for low income households and for rural and Northern communities
– cutting electricity rates for 500,000 small businesses and farms
– ensuring that hydro rates will not rise faster than inflation for four years
– removing the Debt Retirement Charge for all residential customers
– continue building on the comprehensive Fair Auto Insurance Plan to further reduce rates and help accident victims, crack down on auto insurance fraud, eliminating geographic discrimination, creating standard treatment plans for common injuries sustained in auto accidents so people get healthier faster
– ensuring that lawyers’ contingency fees are reasonable and transparent
– mandating that insurers offer discounts to drivers who install anti-distracted driving apps on their phones
– to help families and commuters, creating an independent gasoline price watchdog to protect consumers and ensure there is fairness in gasoline and diesel prices at the pumps anywhere in the province
Pensions & Secure Retirement
The party states that during its last term in office, in view of high levels of worry about retirement security while pension coverage is declining and people are living longer, it played a leading role in:
– increasing the maximum CPP and pension benefits guarantee fund retirement benefits by about 50 percent
– making employment’s CPP contributions tax deductible
– protecting the value of retirement benefits for workers such as women who have to leave the work force to raise children and those who can work due to disability
– ensuring that the CPP remained well funded and managed
To expand access to pensions and high-quality retirement plans, the party advocates:
– the creation of “portable” retirement plans that stay with workers who change jobs
– strengthening the new Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario and strengthening the ability of the pension regulator to intervene in cases of unfairness
– allowing successful public-sector pension plans to offer their services to non-public employees
– piloting a group tax-free savings account for personal support workers in publicly funded home care
– improving transparency of pension plans, securities, and financial plans to protect investors
Jobs, Industries, Unions, Transportation & Infrastructure
The party states that during its prior term in office:
– unemployment declined from 9.6% to 5.5% and remained below the national average for 34 straight months
– the provincial economy created 800,000 net new jobs, the majority of them full-time, private sector jobs in industries that pay above-average wages
The party advocates, to create jobs and growth:
– increasing funding to the Good Jobs and Growth Plan by $900 million over ten yeas, to a total of $3.2 billion
– investing in regional development in Northern, Eastern, and Southwestern Ontario, the GTA, and the Hamilton Area
– provincial partnerships with innovative companies as the start up and scale up, including $85 million over 10 years through the Venture Technologies Fund
– reducing electricity costs for businesses
– increasing provincial R&D tax credits
– standing up for businesses and workers on trade issues
– building and upgrading transit, hospitals, schools and digital infrastructure
Innovation
The party states that during its last term office, to support innovation and new technologies, it:
– invested in artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles, wireless communications and advanced computing technologies
– created the New Economy Fund to invest in advanced manufacturing, information and communications technology, life sciences and cleantech
The party advocates:
– increased investment in the New Economy Fund by an additional $500 million over 10 years
– creating an $85 million Venture Technologies Fund to help high-growth firms scale up, and to create and retain more than 5,000 jobs
– creating a $50 million Transformative Technology Partnerships Fund to support innovation in AI, 5G wireless communications, advanced computing and autonomous vehicles
– increasing provincial R&D tax credits to encourage investment and commercialization
– creating a data strategy to help provincial citizens and businesses benefit from publicly funded economy
– continued support for provincial fintech and cleantech sectors
– $25 million investment support research and regenerative medicine
– development of a provincial to help businesses protect and leverage their intellectual property
– enabling ministries and agencies to devote a portion of all procurement toward innovative solutions from small businesses
Agriculture
The party states that the agriculture and agri-food industries employ more than 800,000 workers in Ontario
The party advocates:
– renewing a 10-year agreement with the University of Guelph for investment of $700 million invested in agri-food education, research and innovation
– continued support for the provincial supply management system, its producers and its processors
– seeking transitional assistance from the federal government for agriculture businesses and workers affected by the CP-TPP
– expanded access to international markets for agricultural products while ensuring that a modernized NAFTA does not place any new restrictions on the movement of agricultural goods across North America
– working to improve the Risk Management Program, including working with the federal government
– to support farm producers, investing $120 million over three years in the food and beverage sector
– working with producers to develop a new strategy to grow the beverage alcohol sector
– cutting farm electricity rates in half, through the Fair Hydro Plan
– working with banks, credit unions, and municipalities to ensure that banking solutions are available across rural Ontario
– investment of $20 million in the Rural and Northern Education Fund to improve educational programming in small communities
Infrastructure
The party states that:
– modern infrastructure is crucial to provincial economic competitiveness and prosperity
– during its last term in office, it made historic investments in transportation infrastructure, schools and hospitals, and passed legislation to enable the consideration of community economic and social benefits such as local job creation, training and improvements to public spaces when infrastructure projects are being planned and developed
The party advocates investing $230 billion in infrastructure over 14 years, to support about 140,000 jobs, on average, every year and create vibrant communities where families and businesses can thrive, by:
– expanding access to digital services and upgrading cultural and recreational facilities
– providing faster and more frequent GO service through GO Regional Express Rail projects
– investing in rapid transit, including the Toronto Relief Line Subway, Yonge North Subway Extension, Toronto Waterfront LRT, Toronto-York Spadina Extension, Scarborough Subway extension, Hamilton LRT, Ottawa LRT, Durham and London Bus Rapid Transit and rapid transit in municipalities such as Brampton, Mississauga and Waterloo
– investing more than $11 billion to support the building of Canada’s first high-speed rail service in the Toronto-Windsor corridor
– further reducing fares for GTHA transit users, saving regular cross-boundary transit users approximately $720 a year
– improving GO stations by providing services such as grocery stores, banking and dry cleaning
– supporting green transportation through a $140 million investment to improve cycling infrastructure
– new and upgraded highways in Southwestern, Central, Northern and Eastern Ontario
– to help municipalities repair roads and bridges connecting provincial highways, increasing funding to the Connecting Links Program to $30 million per year
– investing $490 million over the next 10 years to repair and upgrade railway tracks, bridges and trains in Northern Ontario, through the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission
– investing an additional $500 million over three years to expand broadband connectivity in rural and northern communities
– investing in culture and recreation infrastructure, including upgrades to Variety Village, Shaw Festival theatres, a new community hub in Elliot Lake and expanding the Blackburn Arena in Ottawa
Corporations, Competition & Consumers
The party states that during its prior term in office it invested in regional economic growth by reducing the small business tax rate from 4.5 to 3.5%
The party advocates expanded and diversified foreign trade
Ontario Libertarian Party The party:
– challenges the right of government to restrict trade in any way, or to force citizens to support through taxes projects they will not willingly support on the free market
– undertakes to boost job production by removing government from markets, because the economy will return to full employment when markets are allowed to function naturally
Poverty Reduction
The party states that government should offer equality to men not in the forms of equal pay, equal housing, or equal happiness, but instead, in the form of equal opportunity to earn these things in voluntary dealings with other men
Jobs, Employment, Unions & Industry
The party states that:
– Ontario has abundant natural resources, well educated people, and proximity to the largest economy in the world, but in spite of these advantages people and companies are fleeing the province for other jurisdictions due to government intervention in the economy
In order to make Ontario a job magnet, the party advocates:
– implementing a sensible electricity policy, by “Cutting your hydro bill in half”
– implementing a sensible Government and Taxation plan, including balancing of the provincial budget and repeal of the job-killing Cap & Trade Carbon Tax
– ending any Government program and service related to mitigating climate change
– ending corporate taxation, though of course Corporations will still pay HST
– ending all grants and loans to Corporations and other entities
– ending mandatory WSIB insurance
– ending mandatory registration with the College of Trades
Ontario New Democratic Party The Dignity & Importance of Work
The party notes that economies are changing around the world:
– technologies are advancing, making new industries possible and sending others into decline
– climate concerns and the shift from a carbon economy are opening opportunities for many, but at the risk of closing doors for many others
– economic growth should be shared wisely, to serve all people, rather than being concentrated in few hands
– workers should be able to support their families and plan for the future without falling behind
– the provincial government has a responsibility to ensure nobody is left behind
The Dignity & Importance of Work
The party advocates:
– requiring employers to offer at least three weeks’ paid vacation, rather than two
– implementing card-based union certification, and first-contract arbitration
– increasing minimum wage to $15 for everyone, and indexing it to inflation
– to help workers start careers, offing new ways to learn on the job for students and apprentices
– investing over $180 billion in infrastructure without wasteful public-private partnerships
Poverty Reduction
The party advocates:
– cutting Hydro bills by 30%, and returning Hydro One to public ownership
– building 65,000 new affordable homes
– providing $3 million in seed money for development of co-op housing projects
– overhauling Inclusionary Zoning Regulations to ensure that they actually require certain numbers of affordable homes in new housing developments, increase percentages of affordable home requirements, and including rental housing developments
– cracking down on housing speculators, including domestic speculators, by application of surtaxes and applying proceeds toward affordable housing
– to make rentals more affordable, enacting effective, reasonable, and predictable rent controls
– implementation of a rent registry, so that renters know how much landlords have charged in the past
– improve protections for renters who pay their rent and abide by their agreements
– banning ‘pink taxes’
– achieving a 15% discount on auto insurance and ending neighborhood discrimination
– allowing seniors to defer property taxes until they sell their home
– to protect homeowners from shoddy construction, reforming the Tarion Warranty Corporation to ensure that it answers to home buyers and the public, rather than private interests
Housing
To create a new market of homes and make housing more affordable, the party advocates:
– direct financial support for first time home buyers and for the renters who need it most
– keeping rental rates affordable by closing loopholes on renovictions – where landlords evict people so they can jack up the rent between tenants, and regulating short term rental prices
– extending the life of 260,000 affordable homes, and building 69,000 new affordable homes over 10 years
– supporting municipalities to shift property taxes onto the very rich, to lighten the load on middle class homeowners
– creating a Housing First strategy that will end chronic homelessness within 10 years
Pensions
The party advocates:
– increasing amounts covered by the Pension Benefit Guarantee Fund to $3000 per month, indexed to inflation (retroactive for Sears pensioners)
– reducing barriers for workers to join existing Jointly Sponsored Pension Plans, in order to allow more people to have defined-benefit pensions
– pushing for greater protection by the federal government of pensions during insolvency
Jobs, Industries, Unions, Transportation & Infrastructure
The party states that:
– one of the most promising economic approaches in years has been to focus on regional clusters, including financial services in Toronto, automotive and manufacturing in the southwest, telecom in Ottawa, information technology in Kitchener-Waterloo, and mining tech in Sudbury
– clusters increase productivity and innovation and stimulate new business
The party advocates:
– developing a new cluster strategy to bring together all actors within a strategic regional industry, by gathering small and medium businesses, large anchor organizations, suppliers, colleges and universities, and all levels of government
Industries
The party advocates:
– expanding auto and manufacturing jobs within the province
– working with industry, labour, and the college system to identify skills gaps and work to close them
– promoting more R&D within the Jobs and Prosperity Fund
– working with the Canadian Automotive Partnership Council to create a ‘single window’ for automotive and manufacturing investment
– championing Ontario in trade negotiations
– making Ontario the best place in Canada to launch an innovative start-up
– making drug and dental programs attractive to start-ups and founders
– creating an advisory panel on the innovation economy to guide the province in expanding the provincial innovation economy
– defending jobs in the resource sector, including a sustainable Provincial forest strategy
Agriculture
The party advocates:
– raising the cap on the Risk Management Program, in support of a made-in-Ontario solution to global agricultural instability
– defending supply management
– protection for the Ontario Production Insurance Program and working with farmers to keep it simple and truly protective
– working with farmers and municipal leaders to protect provincial farmland from encroachment by land speculators
– working with farming groups to help young farmers get started
– expanding the government’s definition of farming and food production to include new definitions such as urban farming
Infrastructure
The party states that:
– affordable, reliable public transit benefits everyone, thinning traffic and providing environmental improvements
– community transit should be sure of running on schedule, reliably
The party advocates implementing the largest infrastructure investment in provincial history by:
– to allow transit operators to improve services and fares, ensuring Provincial coverage of 50% of municipal transit costs, at a projected investment of $330 million in Toronto and $800 million across the province
– full Provincial support for two-way all-day GO rail service between Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo
– year-round GO service between Niagara and Toronto
– implementation of a Northern Rail Strategy to restore Ontario Northlander rail passenger service and support the Huron Central and Algoma Central passenger lines
– building of Toronto’s downtown relieve transit line ASAP
– building of Hamilton’s LRT right away
– electrification of the GO networks and UP Express
– ensuring that fares for UP Express and GO trips of less than 10km cost no more than $3
– updating Ontario’s cycling strategy, setting specific goals for bike usage
– investing $180 billion in infrastructure over 10 years, without public-private partnerships
– ensuring that the provincial government buys more often from small and medium-sized businesses, requiring 1/3 of provincial purchases to be supplied by them
– applying Community Benefits Agreements to all infrastructure projects, to provide opportunities for growing companies, apprentices, and community input
Unions & Employees
The party states that for many Ontarians work is low-paid, part-time, and insecure, offering few benefits and few opportunities for the future
The party advocates:
– in order to encourage more stable, long-term jobs, allowing more people to organize in unions, by allowing any workplace to unionize when 55% of workers sign a union card
– introducing first contract arbitration legislation to prevent long tactical delays by employers
– classifying those who are permanent employees in fact as such, rather than contract employees
– requiring regular updates of workplace safety rules and WSIB rates and coverage
– expanding coverage and definitions of occupational illnesses
– investing $57 million annually from the Jobs and Prosperity fund to create apprenticeship opportunities in the trades, brining together
– focusing on brining more women and equity-seeking groups into skilled trades
Jobs Training
The party advocates creating a fund within the Jobs & Prosperity Fund for mid-career education
Corporations, Competition & Consumers
The party states that Ontario businesses benefit from a highly educated workforce, modern infrastructure, and good health care system
The party advocates:
– returning the tax rate on corporate profits to 13% in a fair manner that allows businesses to plan
– closing a loophole that enables large corporations to qualify for small business exemptions
– maintaining the one-third reduction for small business income tax rates
– to be fair, implementing a uniform Business Education Tax Rate
New Blue Party of Ontario The party has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
– the dignity of work
– poverty reduction
– jobs, unions, or employment
– industries, corporations, or consumers
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario An Economy to Serve People
The party states that it believes, as a matter of principle:
– that economic freedom, entrepreneurial spirit and the right to private property are essential to economic prosperity and political freedom
– that social justice entails equality of opportunity, including fair and equal treatment for all Ontarians and the provision of support to those in need
Covid Recovery
The party states that:
– while COVID‐19 is a health emergency, measures taken to save lives and preserve capacity in Ontario’s health care system have had serious economic consequences
– few have sacrificed more than the owners and employees of the tens of thousands of small businesses affected by public health measures
– it has implemented the Ontario Small Business Support Grant, providing a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $20,000 to help an estimated 120,000 small businesses benefit from $1.7 billion in relief
– to help business that continue to struggle, it has implemented a second round of support to small businesses that have already been deemed eligible, bringing the total amount of relief being delivered through the grant to a projected $3.4 billion
– despite these measures, many workers have lost their jobs due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, with women, racialized communities, lower income workers and employees in industries like hospitality and tourism being disproportionately affected.
The party advocates:
– to help workers who have lost their job in in the pandemic, a temporary Ontario Jobs Training Tax Credit providing up to $2000 to individuals with eligible training expenses, with a cost of about $260 million to help 230,000 individuals
– to help families, cutting hydro rates by 12% and returning Hydro One dividend payments to families
Poverty Reduction
The party expresses concern that the province continues to tax minimum wage earners, and undertakes to make the tax system fairer by ensuring that minimum wage earners pay no income tax
The party further advocates:
– preserving rent control for existing tenants across Ontario
Small Businesses
The party advocates:
– cutting hydro rates for small businesses and farmers by 12%
Innovation
The party advocates:
– setting up an emissions-reduction fund to invest in new technologies within the province
Jobs, Workers & Unions, Industries, Transportation & Infrastructure
The party states that governments do not create jobs on their own, but create conditions that make it easier to start or grow a business, or to invest in the province
The party advocates:
– instead of corporate welfare, making business taxes competitive by reducing them from 11.5 to 10.5 percent, and lowering small business tax rates by 8.7 percent
– cancelling the Jobs & Prosperity Fund, which it believes has favored small groups of businesses on an invitation-only basis
– instead of complex regulations that reward insiders and those who employ lobbyists, cutting red tape to reward entrepreneurship & ideas
– supporting regional economic development funds for regions like rural and northern Ontario
– to help fill skilled jobs, increasing access to apprenticeships and reforming the foreign credential recognition process to help qualified immigrants come to Ontario and contribute to the economy to their fullest potential immediately
– expanding sales of beer and wine through corner stores, grocery stores, and box stores, based on market demand; maintaining LCBO’s role in wholesale and distribution
Manufacturing
The party states that:
– it launched the $50 million Ontario Together Fund to help manufacturers retool their operations to produce personal protective equipment (PPE), critical supplies and equipment, and develop technology‐driven solutions and services for business to reopen safely
– it is investing an additional $50 million in 2021–22 to continue supporting local businesses to further enhance domestic capacity and help support the safety and security of the people of Ontario
Infrastructure
The party advocates:
– investing in expanded broadband internet access
– increasing local infrastructure funding
– implementing two-way, all-day GO service, including expansions to Bowmanville, Kitchener and completing the Niagara GO Expansion, and supporting regional transit projects in places such as Ottawa, Hamilton, Mississauga/Brampton, Kitchener-Waterloo and London
– transferring responsibility for subway infrastructure, including the building and maintenance of new and existing subway lines, from the City of Toronto to the Province
– adding $5 billion in new subway funding to the $9 billion already available to build the Sheppard Loop with Scarborough, the Relief Line, and the Yonge Extension while building future crosstown expansions underground
– retaining municipal responsibility for day-to-day TTC operations, including labour relations, with the City of Toronto along with a guarantee that the City will continue to keep all revenue generated by the subway system
– actively exploring potential for high-speed rail and highway projects including the potential six-laning of Highway 401 to the 416 between Toronto and Ottawa
– completing the environmental assessment for the GTA West Corridor, investing in increased safety on the 401 West and four-lane Highway 17 in eastern Ontario and Highway 3 in Southwestern Ontario
– expanding natural gas distribution to rural communities by enabling private sector participation and use the up to $100 million in savings to invest in cellular and broadband expansion
Agriculture
– expanding the Risk Management Program (RMP) cap by $50 million annually to help farmers and other producers better manage risks outside of their control
Points to Ponder An Economy to Serve People
Consider discussing the following questions with your local candidates, elected officials, and the parties, and with your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and fellow parishioners:
Poverty Reduction
– What can be done to ensure that all Canadians are encouraged and enabled to apply the full range of their talents and gifts to the care of their families, to lift themselves out of poverty, and in doing so to give praise to God as co-creators, through meaningful creative work?
– How can Ontario best strike a balance between the principles of solidarity – ‘we’re all in this together’ – and subsidiarity – ‘everyone should do what he or she can to support themselves, before burdening others?’
– What is an appropriate definition of poverty, particularly in a society overflowing with consumer objects and material wealth? Should such definitions include consideration of the ability of individuals to seek personal fulfillment in pursuing truth?
– What, if anything, should be done to ensure that a dignified living wage, capable of providing a dignified home and opportunity to support a family is available to workers, or those willing to work, or to reduce poverty in Ontario? Should a basic income policy be considered? If so, what form should it take? What can or should be done by the provinces, and what should be left to the federal government, or to private or community organizations?
– It has been observed that debt levels among the elderly are increasing, especially as the costs of long-term, dignified care increase. What can or should be done to alleviate poverty and debt among the elderly?
GDP & Well-Being
For decades, governments have focused exclusively on gross domestic product – a measure of an economy’s sheer productivity – as the best measure of national economic health. More recently, some voices have begun to advocate for a broader index of national well-being, to include factors such as the physical and emotional health of the people, the health of the environment, equity in housing, income, and opportunity, and food security, in addition to raw production.
– Which of these approaches is more likely to reflect the well being of current and future national, provincial, or local populations, and their ability to achieve personal fulfillment in seeking and finding truth?
– What else can or should be done to ensure that Ontario’s economy serves the people, rather than the other way around? Is it reasonable to demand continuous economic growth, or might it be preferable to seek sustainable contentment?
Businesses and Corporations
For decades, corporate lobby groups and business schools have taught that the only legitimate object of a business corporation is to make money for its shareholders. More recently, some business voices have begun to advocate a broader role for corporations, to include service of its employees, its customers, and the community, and protection of the environment, as part of a corporation’s proper role.
– Which of these object definitions is more consistent with church teachings? Should anything be done to encourage development of a corporate and business culture that aims to serve people, communities, and future generations, in addition to profits? If so, what?