Dear Editor:
An open letter to Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott.
I am very upset with your government’s handling of stomping all over the collective bargaining rights for a negotiated agreement and the education workers’ right to strike.
Once again your party is demonstrating their agenda is to break both education and health care by underfunding both while sitting on a $2 billion-plus surplus.
I recognize your position as speaker but even when you weren’t you didn’t speak up for your constituents. We are getting tired of this. There are rumblings about the lack of any substance from you.
Use of the Notwithstanding clause in the current situation is overkill. Those workers, since 2012, have had an eight per cent wage increase. The cost of living has risen 18% in total since then.
These are some of the lowest paid workers and they get offered 2.5% or 1%. Education minister Stephen Lecce, who has never attended a public school, constantly rails about benefits and pensions while you and him have had way larger increases and better benefits and pensions.
All workers should have some sort of benefits and pensions but not your government. You wouldn’t improve nurses’ compensation and we are losing them in droves. But breaking the system so you can privatize it (i.e. – long-term care, etc.) seems to be the goal of all Conservative governments.
How about speaking up for your constituents where many are struggling to find affordable housing and trying to make ends meet? I believe you to be an honorable man. Take issue with your government’s position or at least state you fully support their actions and goals.
Then your constituents can express themselves at the ballot box. This is not what we voted for from your government.
Gregory Bowman,
Fergus