By the government’s own admission, the change to the employment clawback for ODSP helps only the 6.5% of ODSP recipients who are working, and it does nothing for the vast majority of people on ODSP who are unable to work—which is why they are on ODSP in the first place. The other 356,700 recipients are left on their own to try to make ends meet on a benefit that is lower than the average cost of rent across the province.

Why is the Premier continuing to legislate poverty for hundreds of thousands of Ontarians instead of doubling social assistance rates?

This government has also left people on Ontario Works living in deep poverty with no help. In fact, this government has left these Ontarians triply behind—no rate increase, no indexation, no change to the employment threshold despite the fact that it has remained unchanged for nine years.

Speaker, $733 a month doesn’t even go halfway to paying the rent, let alone food and other essentials.

How does the Premier expect people to get off of Ontario Works when his policies are driving people into crushing levels of poverty and ill health?