Horwath announces three weeks of paid vacation for full-time workers

TORONTO – Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath announced Tuesday that an NDP government will change the law to give full-time workers three weeks of paid vacation, up from the current two.

“Every hard-working Ontarian should be able to build a great life here, and work-life balance is a huge part of that equation,” said Horwath. “After 20 years of Conservative and Liberal governments, families are feeling the squeeze on their time. From better transit to help people commute home to their families quickly, to giving workers a little more vacation time to spend with loved ones, I know we can make Ontario an even better place to live and work.”

“Doug Ford would make things worse when it comes to the time-crunch working people are feeling. He’ll freeze the minimum wage, taking more than $1,000 per year out of the pockets of people who already often work more than one job. And his vow to slash $6 billion from services across the board means services would be cut and squeezed – longer waits for health care, longer waits for busses and streetcars, and certainly no improvement on things like vacation days.”

Horwath’s Change for the Betterplatform commits to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, deliver dental and prescription drug benefits for everyone – including part-time and contract workers – protect temp workers, and make it easier to join a union.

“Ontario’s workers are what makes our economy strong,” said Horwath. “They deserve a government who will stand up for them and their families, and be on their side.”

Horwath’s platform also includes:

• Three weeks of paid vacation for full-time workers after the first year of employment
• Five paid sick or emergency leave days for workers
• 10 days paid leave for survivors of domestic violence to access medical care, find safe housing or participate in legal proceedings
• Making it harder for employers to label workers “contractors” instead of employees
• Requiring temp workers to become permanent employees after 90 days of work
• Making sure every Ontarian has prescription drug and dental coverage
• Investing in thousands of new paid student co-op placements and investing in skilled trades apprenticeship programs