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Absender : ewplawiuk@GEOCITIES.COM (EW Plawiuk) Org.-Empf. : LABOR-L@YORKU.CA Weiterleiter owner-labor-l@YORKU.CA Antwort an : LABOR-L@YORKU.CA Betreff : Workfare Ontario Throne Speech Datum : Do 23.04.98, 19:53 (erhalten: 26.04.98) Groesse : 3676 Bytes ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ## Nachricht am 26.04.98 archiviert ## Ursprung: /labor-l@also.ol.ni.schule.de
April 23, 1998
Preschoolers' parents encouraged to join workfare
TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario government is urging all parents - even those with preschool children - to get involved in its controversial work for welfare program. Parents on social assistance who currently have children in subsidized day-care spaces can and should be taking part in workfare, the Conservative government said in its throne speech. And eventually, the province would like every parent to take advantage of child care so they can get onto the work program, the speech said. "Many parents with preschool kids, they want to participate," Social Services Minister Janet Ecker said outside the legislature.
"They want to get off welfare and they want to take advantage of
opportunities that will help them to that. I don't want to have to say to that
mom 'I know you want to do it, but we can't help you.' "
The government has until now said only parents with children in school
would have to take part in workfare, which requires them to spend 17
hours a week at work or in training to earn their cheque.
There's no plan to change that, but Ecker said many parents with
preschoolers have been clamoring to be part of it, and the province wants
to make that possible by helping provide more child care.
The throne speech also said the province would step up its campaign
against welfare fraud and abuse, and work to simplify a system that remains
"too bureaucratic and too complicated."
But the address made no apologies for the impact of previous
Conservative welfare polices, such as a 21.6 per cent cut to social
assistance rates.
"Many Ontarians are still asking why at times it seems more attractive to
be on welfare than to work hard and pay the taxes that support welfare."
Opposition leaders said the Tories may want a softer image, but continue
to pick on the needy for political gain.
"You've got to find someone to blame, someone to attack, so you try to
play up crime, have another go at attacking poor people, unemployed
people," said NDP Leader Howard Hampton.
The province also vowed to defeat forces trying to undermine the
slow-to-start workfare plan, including the union that pledged to try to
unionize workfare clients.
Such a plan would give rise "to the prospect of participants collecting
vacation pay or even going on strike for higher welfare benefits," the speech
said.
"These are real challenges that this government must and will overcome."
Workfare has so far been implemented for a relatively small chunk of
recipients, but the speech vows to expand it to everyone on social
assistance.
The province will look to the private sector to provide placements, but
keep its promise not to steal paying jobs, said Ecker.
Index of Welfare-Workfare-State Archives
Last Modified: July 1998