Tories Attack Rand Formula to Silence Workers

By Sid Ryan
President, Ontario Federation of Labour

The way that Conservative Members of Parliament like Pierre Poilievre go on about unions dues, you’d think they are familiar with the struggle of the average working person. However, unlike the millions of workers in Canada who are striving to make ends meet, Poilievre is only 33 years old and already has a full pension that he clearly doesn’t think other workers deserve.

So why are well-to-do Conservative politicians so vigorously trying to prevent vulnerable workers from advocating for a better life? The answer is simple: because they see worker-led unions as the strongest opposition to their plans to convert Canada into a low-wage economy.

Poilievre’s federal campaign is in lock-step with Ontario Conservative Leader Tim Hudak’s White Paper on “Flexible Labour Markets” that last year pledged his party’s commitment to eliminating the mandatory collection of union dues.