O’Toole on the defensive over his plan to cut billions from child care, end emergency support for workers

During the French debate last night, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole was on the defensive over his vow to tear up child care agreements with the provinces and cut billions from child care just when parents need them most.

“For many women, the lack of child care during the pandemic was a key reason they were forced out of the labour force. Today, many parents are still struggling to find spaces for their kids,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “It is cold-hearted and irresponsible for Mr. O’Toole to turn to these women and say no to the high-quality, affordable child care spaces that would finally allow them to return to the labour force.”

O’Toole was also caught again showing his anti-worker tendencies while talking about labour shortages, saying that emergency support for workers should be shut down. Earlier in the pandemic, O’Toole also said that more money should have gone to business, less to workers.

“A lack of child care spaces, low wages and poor working conditions. These are some of the key factors leading to labour shortages,” said Bruske. “Yet Mr. O’Toole is just another Conservative blaming workers. He cannot pretend to be a friend to working families while saying they should be cut off from critical emergency pandemic support.”

Bruske added that O’Toole’s proposal for gig economy workers, which appeared to be written by Uber, shows just how far out of touch O’Toole is with the reality facing workers today.