NDP Asks for Government to Step in

Queen’s Park—During question period today, Ontario NDP Community and Social Services critic and Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky called on the Liberal Government to ensure all workers at the Canadian Hearing Society are given the opportunity to negotiate a fair deal.

“It’s now been over a month since workers at the Canadian Hearing Society were forced off the job after working without a contract for four years,” said Gretzky. “This means people who are Deaf and hard of hearing don’t have access to the 227 interpreters, speech-language pathologists, counselors, literacy instructors and audiologists they depend on to thrive.”

Gretzky noted that the permanent closure of the Audiology Clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital will make it even more difficult for members of the Deaf and hard of hearing community to access services in Toronto.

“For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, the scarcity of services in the Toronto area has just increased exponentially,” said Gretzky. “But it’s not just Toronto. Workers at the Canadian Hearing Society are on strike in Windsor, Ottawa, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and throughout the province. Many of these workers are Deaf or hard of hearing themselves.”

“Will the premier stand up for all clients of the Canadian Hearing Society, insist that no scab workers are used during the labour disruption, and ensure all parties return to the bargaining table?” asked Gretzky.