Steelworkers applaud NDP gains in provincial budget talks

NEWS RELEASE

UNITED STEELWORKERS

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TORONTO - The United Steelworkers (USW) union welcomes the modest tax increase for Ontario's richest and income increase for Ontario's poorest achieved by New Democrats in budget negotiations with the provincial government. 

"The NDP has succeeded in adding some fairness to the budget while avoiding an election nobody wanted," said Wayne Fraser, USW's Ontario director. "The additional childcare funding secured by New Democrats will also make an important difference for our province's working families." 

However, as NDP leader Andrea Horwath has herself emphasized, the Liberal budget remains flawed.

The Centre for Spatial Economics has calculated that implementing all of the cuts envisioned by the budget for future years would eliminate 105,000 jobs in 2015 - 65,000 in the public sector and 40,000 in the private sector.

Ontario's minority parliament will provide further opportunities to negotiate constructive changes or, if necessary, defeat the government.

We are proud of Andrea Horwath and the NDP Caucus for insisting on a better budget for everyday Ontarians, and standing up for working families. 

"We must continue working to ensure that subsequent budgets place more emphasis on concrete measures to create jobs rather than across-the-board corporate tax breaks," said Ken Neumann, USW's national director. "Excessive austerity from federal and provincial governments threatens to derail Canada's fragile economic recovery and weak labour market."

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