SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

Ontario Assembly

43rd Parl. 1st Sess.
November 1, 2022 05:00AM
  • Nov/1/22 7:10:00 a.m.
  • Re: Bill 28 

First, thank you to the member opposite for her question. I’m just going to be honest with you: You have workers going to food banks to feed their children. That’s why I think your offer is not reasonable. That’s why anyone in this province would think your offer is not reasonable—sorry, Speaker, through you.

I am so frustrated. I have said this time and time again: Nobody working full-time in this province should go to a food bank. Food Banks Canada produce stats every year in Ontario; in 2018 or 2019, we finally tipped over: that there are more people than ever before working full-time jobs. These are those workers going to food banks, hat in hand, embarrassed to get food for their children because they don’t have enough money—because they hold the purse strings and think it’s fine. Shameful.

That is one example. A hashtag that trends on Twitter is #50KIsNotOK. That number continues to grow. So whenever I hear the Conservative government stand up and say, “It’s about the children. We care about the children,” you could prove it by clearing the autism wait-list, and you choose not to.

Interjections.

If you look at inflation, year after year inflation goes up but their wages don’t, to the point where they’re going to food banks, to the point where they can’t feed their children. So every time you stand up and you use 50% or you use bulk numbers, you are ignoring the fact that employees of this government go to food banks and you legislate it. You can spin it anyway you want, but when you go in your communities and you see people and you can’t look them in the eye because they can’t afford to feed their children, it’s because of your votes on this bill. You choose to do this. You choose to harm them. You choose to ignore the peril that they’re in, the financial stress—

340 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
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