HIGHLIGHTS: Ontario’s new premier has pledged to do away with Canada’s toughest employment equity law by the end of the year. (Courtesy: San Francisco Chronicle, by Mary Goode ham, Chronicle Foreign Service) Toronto Promising to level the playing field for white men looking for jobs, the newly elected premier of Canada’s largest province has promised to repeal legislation enacted last year that promotes the hiring of women, minorities, the disabled and native Americans.
Ontario Premier Mike Harris’ rightwing policies have earned him the nickname “Newt of the, North”—a moniker the laconic 50 year old Conservative Party leader seems to relish, He was elected premier two months ago with 63 percent of the seats in the legislature and promptly vowed to lower taxes, cut government, chop welfare and employment programs, ‘and cancel public work projects. “I am serious about fundamental change,” he said in a recent interview. “We must rethink government, challenge old assumptions about what can be done, and develop proposals to change policies in radical ways.
The parallels between Harris’ proBram and the U.S. Republicans’ Contact With America are clear, Already the new government has lopped nearly $2 billion off provincial spending, more than a quarter of that from the Welfare checks of the poor. About 1.3 million of the province’s 10 million residents collect welfare, and they Will see their monthly checks drop in the fall 10 $520 from $663, a reduction of almost 22 percent. It is all ‘part of the Conservative Party’: Common Sense Revolution, designed to cut Ontario’s deficit and reduce the size of government.
A key element of that revolution is Harris’ pledge to scrap the country’s most aggressive affirmative action program by the end of the year and replace it with softer measures that stress “equal opportunity.”
Quota Driven’ Law During his successful election campaign this spring, Harris criticized the Employment Equity Act, which took effect last fall, labeling it a “quota driven” law that ignores merit in hiring.
“Ordering employers to hire based not on the applicants’ qualifications but according to their race, gender, heritage or physical circumstances is not the answer,” he complained, equating the fledgling law with affirmative ‘action measures that have come un: der fire in the United States. In fact, the Employment Equity Act did not establish formal quotas, but it did ask employers to devise their own targets 10 promote hiring from the four groups—women, minorities, the disabled and native populations.
commission was to judge whether they had made “reasonable progress,” and the maximum fine for not com. plying was set at $50,000, _ Although Harris’ campaign barbs may not have been strictly accurate, they proved popular among Ontarian frustrated with the seemingly preferential treatment given to minorities ‘and women.
Now, as Provincial premier, Harrie says his government will do away with the law and work out its own voluntary rules, “our goal is to take, down barriers to equality of opportunity instead of trying to legislates equality of Outcomes.
Paul Nykanen, vice president of the Ontario division of the Canadian Manufacturers Association, welcomed the Conservatives’ promised repeal of the act, which he believes penalizes employers for “going after the best person for the job.” Although his organization supports the removal of barriers in the workplace, it believes that a voluntary system would work better.
Resentment and Conflict’ Many others share his view. A poll conducted this spring found that 57 percent of Ontario residents believe that the mandatory rules would backfire, breeding “resentment and social conflict.” Another conducted in June among221 employers concluded that 57 percent of businesses wanted to see the law reformed, 38 percent wanted to see it revoked and only 5 percent were happy with it.
But Margaret Hageman, the provincial coordinator of the Alliance for Employment Equity, lamented that the law appears to have been scuttled by polls and politics without much discussion.
She said Harris was elected by the “angry, white, male taxpayer vole” attracted to his argument that employment equity was a quota law and that repealing it would be better for business.
“Global competitors realize that employment equity means increased competition for jobs, better product overthinking through valuing diversity,” said Hageman, who vowed to fight the law’s repeal. “It is better for business and people; we are not going away.”
She said the voluntary “equal opportunity” plan suggested by the Conservatives is too weak and would give little formal recourse to employees’ and jobseekers who are treated unfairly. “Qualified individuals from disadvantaged groups will continue: to be underrepresented in many jobs,”
Some companies, meanwhile, say: they will still go ahead with employment equity plans because their staffs members should reflect their customers, who come from diverse backgrounds and cultures, Butat least half of the companies are expected to immediately drop their efforts to implement the employment equity measures.
Affirmative action has not been the only program to fall under the Conservative’s budget ax. No Sacred Cows” Other cuts the Conservatives’ first budget statement include the cancellation of a Toronto subway line project: that was already under way, the dumping of road building projects, the freezing of grants to business and the reduction of payments to provincial boards of education. Ted Carmichael, senior economist at J. P, Morgan’ Canada in Toronto, said “It is clear from the initial statement that there: will no sacred cows: Harris promises more severe cuts: this fall, when the government releases a formal economic statement. ‘That is when the Conservatives must: begin delivering on a promise to cut, individual and corporate tax rates by 30 percent, 8 commitment that opposition politicians characterize as ire possible, Liberal leader Lyn McLeod said the: price for the tax cut “is going to be: paid by the most vulnerable” in the: province while middle and upper income people will gain.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 11, 1995
