Since coming to power in 2018, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has worked to fashion himself as a champion of working people. Despite leading a Progressive Conservative government with a decidedly pro-business agenda, Ford has often adopted populist language and presented himself as a defender of blue-collar jobs, manufacturing investment, and workers struggling with the rising cost of living.
Central to this political branding has been the Ford government’s “Working for Workers” legislative agenda. Since 2021, the Conservatives have introduced seven successive bills under variations of this name, each accompanied by announcements promising to modernize employment standards, protect vulnerable workers, crack down on unscrupulous employers and make Ontario a better and safer place to work.
The branding has been remarkably consistent. The substance, much less so.
Originally published by The Maple.
