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North Bay Pride is asking six Ontario unions to withdraw the support they have given to PC leader Doug Ford, saying the Party " has taken positions and actions that violate your own mission statement and set back equality - an integral part of the labour movement's social justice work."
Pride Communications Director Jason Maclennan calls the unions, "an ally to the 2SLGBTQ+ community."
"In light of the recent events of Doug Ford and the Ontario Conservatives, refusing to answer the 2SLGBTQ+ communities across this province, which also includes many community organizations, we make the following request for you to withdraw your support of the Ontario PC Party at this time. You are our allies and said you would help us when seeking equality, yet it seems to the current Leader Doug Ford and his party, that we are not seen as equals."
The PCs recently made a big splash about getting union support, which traditionally has gone to the NDP.
One of the unions is IBEW – Construction Council of Ontario, which last week announced "its full endorsement of Doug Ford and the Ontario PC Party for the June 2nd provincial election."
“Premier Ford has proven over the last four years that he not only supports and understands the needs of the electrical trades but has backed it up with positive and meaningful action that is unprecedented in our union’s history,” said James Barry, Executive Secretary Treasurer of the IBEW CCO.
The union has more than 18,000 women and men working in varied sectors of the electrical industry.
Pride bases its request on four points:
- Doug Ford has refused to respond to the requests by QueerVote - a group of community organizations including prides across Ontario to participate in debate organized by them
- Doug Ford has refused all debate requests by North Bay Pride since 2018
- Doug Ford has supported homophobic candidates in the Province of Ontario -
- Doug Ford does not treat all communities on an equal basis. If he did, he would respect the pride community and answer.
"We have always thought that the labour movement would stick together, however, you have shown support to a leader who has created anti-worker legislation that affects some of the hardest-hit areas like healthcare, long-term care, and education.," states Maclennan in his letter. "Your support for the Ford government is saying that over 6,000 dead seniors through underfunding and mismanagement is ok. You are saying it's ok not to treat everyone with dignity and respect. You are setting us up to fail as a collective and saying it's ok for our government to treat everyone unequally. "
A request to the IBEW Construction Council of Ontario by BayToday for a comment regarding the Pride request was not immediately returned.
