QUEEN’S PARK — Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, issued the following statement:
“Today, our government is getting it done for workers with the passage of our Working for Workers Act, 2022 (Working for Workers Act 2). This bill will now go forward to the Lieutenant Governor for Royal Assent in the coming days. Once received, our historic legislation will be a significant win for all workers. It is another step forward in our fight to rebalance the scales, put more workers in the driver’s seat of their careers, and help all families earn bigger paycheques as we build back a stronger province that works for everyone.
These bold steps also mean Ontario is now the first province in Canada to pass foundational rights and protections for hardworking people who provide ride-share, delivery, or courier services through digital platforms. There is no blueprint in Canada for these changes, and gig workers in Ontario will be significantly better off than their counterparts in any other province.
Our workers-first plan to build stronger families also requires larger employers to disclose how they are monitoring their workers electronically. With more people in Ontario than ever before working from home, families deserve to know if, how, and why their employers are monitoring their devices so they can protect their privacy.
To get life-saving naloxone kits into people’s hands, we’re reducing the stigma and protecting workers by mandating that workplaces with a risk of a worker opioid overdose have these kits on site.
We are also increasing Ontario’s occupational health and safety fines to be the highest in Canada for businesses that fail to keep workers safe. Every worker deserves to come home to their family after a hard day’s work, and safety can never be a cost of doing business. To help employers find the workers they need, we are tackling Ontario’s generational labour shortage by making it easier for out-of-province workers to move here with their families and grow our economy for everyone.
Finally, for our brave military reservists who put their lives on hold to protect our great country, we are making sure their day jobs will be waiting for them when they return home after being deployed or participating in military training.
Everything our government is doing is about building an economy that works for workers. These generational changes are the first of their kind – not only in Canada but across North America. They build on measures we passed last fall through our first Working for Workers Act, which is already changing lives and improving working conditions for millions of workers and their families.
Once again, these changes are just the start.
As we move forward, we’re making sure Ontario continues to lead our country as the province where big dreams come true and workers and their families get a better deal.
Premier Ford and our government are all in for workers, and we will continue to get it done.”
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