The province's review of Ontario's labour laws comes to town Thursday, and Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas says she's guardedly optimistic significant change may be on its way.
Gélinas, who has introduced legislation on a number of occasions to change the laws governing replacement workers, says current Labour Minister Kevin Flynn has shown more openness than any of his Liberal predecessors.
"(He) is the one who has shown the most openness to consider at least keeping track to how often (replacement workers) are being used," she said Tuesday.
"MPPs from every party have put together private members bills or motions, plus there's a lot of unions that want changes, there's a lot of employers that want changes. So the government has decided to do [gauge public opinion], rather than going at it piecemeal."
She's encouraged that real change could be on the way, simply because the province is investing so much time and effort into getting input before it proceeds with new legislation.
“The Changing Workplaces Review,” as the process is known, is looking at changing the Labour Relations Act, passed in 1995, and the Employment Standards Act, passed in 2000.
The government's goal is to find ways both acts “could be amended to best protect workers while supporting businesses in our changing economy.”
"A number of people have been wanting bits and pieces of the labour laws reformed," Gélinas said. "So we're expecting, anyway, some kind of substantive change to the labour laws and the health and safety laws."
She'll be part of the Sudbury and District Labour Council's presentation on the subject. It will be delivered by John Closs and Wymann MacKinnon, but she will be on hand to answer questions afterwards.
A group concerned with replacement worker legislation – the Ontario Coalition Against Replacement Employees – has been advocating for changes since the Vale-Steelworkers strike in 2009-2010. Gélinas said similar laws have worked well in other provinces.
"This is legislation that exists in Quebec and British Columbia, this is legislation that I have put to Queen's Park, I think this is the third or fourth time," she said.
The hearings will be held all day Thursday at the Quality Inn on Elgin Street beginning at 9 a.m. The presentation on replacement workers is scheduled around 2:50 p.m. Gélinas says they will give it their best effort to get the Liberals onside.
"I'm hoping, but I have no control over what (Flynn) will put in," she said. "If they had no intention of doing anything, why go through all that work? Why ask everybody to put in so much time, energy and work if you're not going to do anything with it?
"You would just make a lot of people really unhappy."
Changing Ontario's labour laws
“The Changing Workplaces Review” arrives in Sudbury on Thursday. It's part of the province's public consultations on the changing nature of the modern workplace.
The consultation will consider how the Labour Relations Act, 1995 and Employment Standards Act, 2000 could be amended to best protect workers while supporting businesses in our changing economy. The hearings arrive in Sudbury on Thursday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Quality Inn & Conference Centre, 390 Elgin St. South, Sudbury.
For more information, visit Labour.gov.on.ca.
