Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018

Last updated

Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018
Ontario Legislative Building, Toronto, South view 20170417 1.jpg
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
  • An Act to amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000, the Labour Relations Act, 1995 and the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009 and make complementary amendments to other Acts (Bill 47, 2018)
Territorial extent Ontario
Enacted by Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Royal assent 21 November 2018
Legislative history
Introduced by Todd Smith
First reading 23 October 2018
Second reading 12 November 2018
Third reading 21 November 2018

The Making Ontario Open for Business Act (Bill 47, 2018; French : Loi de 2018 pour un Ontario ouvert aux affaires) is a law in the province of Ontario that froze the minimum wage in the province and removing a number of protections of workers' rights. [1]

Contents

Summary

The bill contained three schedules: Schedule 1 making a number of changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000, Schedule 2 to the Labour Relations Act, 1995 , and Schedule 3 to the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009 . The bill additionally repealed many of the provisions of the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 . [2] [3] [4]

Among the changes brought by Schedule 1 were:

Among the changes brought by Schedule 2 were:

Legislative history

The bill was introduced to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by Progressive Conservative MPP for Bay of Quinte and Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Todd Smith in late October 2018.

From 12 November to 20 November 2018, the bill was reviewed by the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.

On 21 November 2018, the final vote on the bill was held, with 69 MPPs voting in favour and 45 voting against. It received royal assent from Lieutenant-Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell that same day.

Reactions

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce supported the bill, stating that it was "a bold step in creating a stronger and more prosperous province." [5] Premier Doug Ford defended the bill, stating that the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 "was the worst job-killing bill. It was the worst bill for people, the most vulnerable people in society to get a hand up." [6]

The bill was opposed by several trade unions in the province. The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario stated that "Ontario's economy is not going to grow when 40 per cent of working people do not have disposable income to fuel the economy nor the stability to feed their families," while the Ontario Federation of Labour stated Ford "has proven he's an enemy of workers." [7] On 26 October 2018, a protest was organised by unions against the bill outside the Ministry of Labour. [5] A further protest was held in late-November, resulting in several protestors being handcuffed and escorted out of the Queen’s Park gallery. [6]

Concerns were also raised by public health groups concerning the impact the elimination of paid sick days would have. [8] Minister of Health Christine Elliott stated that her ministry had not been consulted about the bill. [9] Those concerns were raised again during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario in 2020. [10]

A Campaign Research opinion poll released on 13 November 2018 found that 77% of those polled opposed the elimination of paid sick days and that 52% opposed the freezing of the minimum wage. [11]

Related Research Articles

Labour laws are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, employer, and union.

A full-time job is employment in which workers work a minimum number of hours defined as such by their employer.

The Social Contract Act was a statute passed by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1993 as part of an initiative by the provincial government to mitigate the negative impact of the early 1990s recession and reduce the provincial deficit. Austerity measures included a wage freeze and mandatory unpaid days of leave for qualifying government employees, as well as the establishment of a job security fund. Introduced under the government of Premier Bob Rae, the unpaid days of leave became known colloquially as Rae Days.

Sick leave is paid time off from work that workers can use to stay home to address their health needs without losing pay. It differs from paid vacation time or time off work to deal with personal matters, because sick leave is intended for health-related purposes. Sick leave can include a mental health day and taking time away from work to go to a scheduled doctor's appointment. Some policies also allow paid sick time to be used to care for sick family members, or to address health and safety needs related to domestic violence or sexual assault. Menstrual leave is another type of time off work for a health-related reason, but it is not always paid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minimum wage in the United States</span>

In the United States, the minimum wage is set by U.S. labor law and a range of state and local laws. The first federal minimum wage was instituted in the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but later found to be unconstitutional. In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act established it at $0.25 an hour. Its purchasing power peaked in 1968, at $1.60. Since 2009, it has been $7.25 per hour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938</span> United States wage law

The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 29 U.S.C. § 203 (FLSA) is a United States labor law that creates the right to a minimum wage, and "time-and-a-half" overtime pay when people work over forty hours a week. It also prohibits employment of minors in "oppressive child labor". It applies to employees engaged in interstate commerce or employed by an enterprise engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, unless the employer can claim an exemption from coverage. The Act was enacted by the 75th Congress and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FDM Group</span> International professional services company

FDM Group is an international recruitment company headquartered in London, United Kingdom with offices in Leeds, Glasgow, Brighton, New York City, Toronto, Reston, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney and Shanghai. It is composed mostly of university graduates, returners to work and ex-military personnel, who are trained in the FDM Group academies before working as consultants for one of FDM Group's clients, primarily financial institutions and banks around the world. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristyn Wong-Tam</span> Canadian politician

Kristyn Wong-Tam is a Canadian politician who has represented Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2022 as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Ford</span> 26th premier of Ontario

Douglas Robert Ford Jr. is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario since June 2018 and leader of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party since March 2018. He represents the Toronto riding of Etobicoke North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parm Gill</span> Canadian politician

Parm Gill is a Canadian politician. He has represented the riding of Milton in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2018 and has served as the Ontario Minister for Citizenship and Multiculturalism since June 18, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monte McNaughton</span> Canadian politician

Monte Gary McNaughton is a Canadian politician who has served as the minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development in Ontario since June 20, 2019. A Progressive Conservative (PC), McNaughton has sat as a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) and has represented the riding Lambton—Kent—Middlesex in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since the 2011 provincial election. McNaughton first joined the provincial Cabinet in 2018 as the minister of infrastructure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minimum Wages Act 1948</span> Article

The Minimum Wages Act 1948 is an Act of Parliament concerning Indian labour law that sets the minimum wages that must be paid to skilled and unskilled labours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie-France Lalonde</span> Politician and MP in Ontario, Canada

Marie-France Lalonde is a Franco-Ontarian politician in Ontario, Canada who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Orléans as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada since 2019. She also served as the Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the provincial riding of Orléans from 2014 until 2019, when she resigned her seat to run federally. She then won in her riding with 54 percent of the vote.

Fiona Crean is the first ombudsman of Toronto, Ontario. She was appointed to the position in 2008 and announced she would not be seeking to renew her contract in 2015. In October 2015, it was announced she would be appointed as the first ombudsman of Hydro One.

Italy does not have a nationally unified labor code. Labor legislation is wide-ranging, with laws, regulations and statutes that bear on labor relations. The Constitution of Italy contains declarations of principle relating to fair payment, maximum working hours, vacation, protection of women and minors, social insurance, illness, disability, industrial diseases and accidents, Freedom of Association and the right to strike. The Workers' Statute of 1970 was modified, and plays an important role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">42nd Parliament of Ontario</span>

The 42nd Legislative Assembly of Ontario was a legislature of the province of Ontario, Canada. The membership was set by the 2018 Ontario general election and sat for two sessions until it was dissolved on May 3, 2022 in advance of the 2022 Ontario general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gig worker</span> Independent on-demand temporary workers

Gig workers are independent contractors, online platform workers, contract firm workers, on-call workers, and temporary workers. Gig workers enter into formal agreements with on-demand companies to provide services to the company's clients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Premiership of Doug Ford</span>

Doug Ford is the 26th and current premier of Ontario, Canada. He won a majority in the June 7, 2018 Ontario general election, as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, (CPC) caucus in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and was sworn in as premier on June 29, 2018. He was re-elected with a increased majority in the June 2, 2022 Ontario general election.

Beryl Potter was a British-born Canadian disability rights activist. She was involved in many disability rights organizations in Ontario including the Trans-Action Coalition, the Scarborough Recreation Club for Disabled Adults, the Ontario Action Awareness Association, and the Coalition on Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities (CEEPD). Potter was a triple amputee and was blind in one eye as a result of complications due to a fall at work.

Ritika Goel is a Toronto-based Canadian writer, activist, professor, and family doctor known for public advocacy on social justice matters.

References

  1. ↑ Jeffords, Shawn (3 October 2018). "Ford vows to scrap key Liberal labour reform legislation". CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 24 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ "Bill 47: Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018 – Employment Standards Act, 2000 considerations | Canada | Global law firm | Norton Rose Fulbright". Norton Rose Fulbright. Retrieved 24 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ Baker; Barristers, McKenzie LLP; Street, Solicitors 181 Bay; Toronto, Suite 2100; F +1 416 863 6275, Ontario M5J 2T3 T. +1 416 865 2325 (24 October 2018). "Ontario Government Introduces Bill 47 to Reverse Most of Bill 148". Canadian Labour and Employment Law. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  4. ↑ "Bill 47 - Making Ontario open for business or just sticking it to workers?". Goldblatt Partners LLP. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  5. 1 2 Mojtehedzadeh, Sara (26 October 2018). "How your rights on the job will change if Bill 47 is passed". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  6. 1 2 Mojtehedzadeh, Sara (21 November 2018). "Amid protests, Tories pass bill that scales back workers' rights and freezes minimum wage". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  7. ↑ Crawley, Mike; Janus, Andrea (24 October 2018). "Ford government freezing $14 minimum wage as part of labour reform rollbacks". CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 24 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ ARCE, FERNANDO (7 November 2018). "Doug Fords Open For Business Act is bad for our health". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  9. ↑ Mojtehedzadeh, Sara (20 November 2018). "Ministry of Health not consulted about health impacts of removing paid sick days, advocates told". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  10. ↑ "Opinion | Doug Ford would like us to forget his cuts to sick days for precarious workers". The Hamilton Spectator. 5 April 2020. ISSN   1189-9417 . Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  11. ↑ Benzie, Robert (13 November 2018). "Scrapping labour reforms is damaging Ford's popularity: poll". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 24 October 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.