WATERLOO – Official Opposition NDP critic for Economic Growth and Job Creation Catherine Fife (Waterloo) issued a statement in response to the latest Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey for July:
“Friday’s figures reveal that while Ontario’s job market is slowly recovering, we are not seeing the full-time jobs being created that we need to mount a strong and inclusive economic recovery. Almost all of the jobs created in July were part-time, with just 5600 full-time roles added. Our economic recovery cannot be based on precarious part-time jobs and gig work that will leave families struggling to pay the bills while they try to pay down household debt that’s soared dramatically during this crisis.
The data shows that economic recovery is not being felt equally by all Canadians, with the largest pandemic-related increases in unemployment being experienced by South Asian and Chinese Canadians, while overall, South Asian women and Black women face the highest levels of unemployment.
To get more people back into the workforce full-time, parents - particularly mothers - need to know their kids will be able to safely return to school or child care. So far, Doug Ford and his Education Minister have failed to offer a safe plan, but it's not too late for them to step up to provide the funding needed to keep kids safe and give parents the confidence they need to go back to work full-time.
It is also long overdue for the Ford government to provide more support for Ontario’s small businesses, including direct rent relief and PPE support to help them reopen safely and rehire staff. The Official Opposition’s Save Main Street plan recognizes that small businesses are the backbone of the province’s economy. Our plan also recognizes the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on racialized communities, and includes a designated emergency fund for small businesses and entrepreneurs who have faced historic barriers to accessing traditional capital, as proposed by the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce.”