Working people in Ontario are facing major political struggles in order to defend already meager living standards and their social and economic rights. We have only seen one third of the four-year term of the Conservative majority government, and already it has managed to drastically accelerate the pace and expand the scope of the corporate attack in the province.
After the concealment of the Conservative program with an empty anti-Liberal election campaign, the majority of the working class is now aware of the true intentions of the Tory government. Now that the policies are clear and the effects of the cuts are starting to be felt, Doug Ford’s approval rating has dropped to 26%.
At the same time, the Ontario Tories are receiving significant support for their corporate agenda from the capitalist class. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce has unbridled enthusiasm for this government. Clearly big money is still bankrolling the Ford steamroller, judging from the fact that the Ontario PCs have brought in more than twice as much fundraising than the Ontario NDP and Liberals combined so far in 2019.
This government is deeply unpopular, but the class project behind it is powerful. The spring saw an outpouring of mostly spontaneous resistance to Ford which resulted in some retreats in certain areas by the government, but it will take organization and escalating mass action to roll back the attack, defeat this government and win meaningful reforms. These reforms are urgently needed to make life livable for millions of working class Ontarians.
The working class around the world and in Ontario face deepening exploitation, expanding imperialist wars and the capitalist climate crisis. A mass fight for a People’s Alternative has the ability to build a powerful coalition of labour and people’s movements and shift the balance of class forces. This is a prerequisite to ending capitalist economic, environmental and social crises by winning socialism through working class political power. This is our goal as Communists and charting a path towards that goal in Ontario starts from building a powerful resistance to Ford’s attacks and advancing class demands that can increase unity and militancy.
Communist Party – Ontario Committee
