Conservative Bill 124 is an unconstitutional attack on the working people of Ontario. Justice Markus Koehnen of the Superior Court of Justice said that Bill 124 infringes on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms:

“The government was using its legislative power to avoid real collective bargaining and to tilt the balance of power in favour of the government....

“It is difficult to see how there can be an effective collective bargaining system when the employer has been given the trump card of compensation increases lower than the rate of inflation and lower than freely bargained agreements.”

All Ontarians have paid the price for the Premier’s wage-capping Bill 124—just look at the staffing crises that have hit our hospitals and our schools as workers quit, feeling disrespected, overworked and underpaid.

My question, Speaker, is will the Premier finally show Bill 124 the door, or will he continue to attack workers by appealing the ruling from the Superior Court of Justice?

Do you know what we voted against? Bill 28, when you attacked the education workers. What we voted against was Bill 124 when you attacked public sector workers, and we’ll do it again.

New Democrats believe that investing in nurses is the best way to improve access to timely, safe and quality health care. But, unfortunately, Conservative Bill 124 treats health care heroes as health care zeros. As a result, many nurses have left the profession. We all know this. Those who remain continue to face increasing levels of violence, exhaustion, burnout and PTSD.

Because bad Bill 124 is unconstitutional, the Ontario Nurses’ Association went to arbitration, and the arbitrator’s decision increased benefits, wages, premiums and vacations for ONA’s non-profit nursing-home health care professionals. Speaker, 60,000 of ONA’s front-line health care professionals will be negotiating a new contract with the Ontario Hospital Association.

My question is will the Premier kill Bill 124, or will the Conservatives continue to fight Ontario’s workers with this unconstitutional wage cap?