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"The problem of growing inequality can be resolved in two main ways. The first is by transferring wealth from profits to wages and public services. The second is through tax fairness." – Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President.
Toronto (04 March 2013) – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) is reacting with shock and surprise after learning that corporate tax cuts implemented by the province have actually created a job.
"We have always maintained that the Liberal government's corporate tax cuts would not create jobs for Ontarians, but the news that former Finance Minister Dwight Duncan begins work today at a Bay Street law firm calls our position into question," said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. "If corporate tax cuts can create a job for Dwight Duncan, is it possible they could create a job for someone else? This is what we're grappling with."
Duncan has accepted a position with McMillan LLP, a happy landing spot for many a politician who has served Bay Street well.
"Under Dalton McGuinty and Dwight Duncan, government and Bay Street became intertwined as never before," said Thomas. "From former TD vice-president Don Drummond to RBC CEO Gordon Nixon, bankers have had unprecedented influence over government policy, especially since 2009. It's no wonder wealth has been funneled upward from people to profits, to the detriment of 99 per cent of the population."
Thomas said that if new Premier Kathleen Wynne wants to be the "social justice Premier," as she has stated, she will have to realize that social justice cannot occur without redistributing wealth from owners to workers and low-income Ontarians.
"The problem of growing inequality can be resolved in two main ways," Thomas said. "The first is by transferring wealth from profits to wages and public services. The second is through tax fairness.
"Premier Wynne's commitment to social justice will be judged by how she addresses these two major policy areas."
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE