A statement from Colleen MacLeod, Chair of the OPSEU/SEFPO LBED Bargaining Team in light of today’s news conference by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF):
LCBO workers are on strike for the future of the LCBO, the $2.5 billion in revenues it generates each year and for the thousands of jobs on the line.Our employer has refused to bargain with us, clearly under direction from the Ford government. Ford has forced this strike for his own agenda – to blow open the marketplace for his alcohol everywhere scheme.The CTF’s request for liquor to be sold in grocery and convenience chains during the strike is nothing more than a trial balloon for Ford’s real agenda – to make liquor everywhere the new norm, and to dismantle the LCBO, its revenues, and our public services in favour of big box billionaire profits.Let’s not be tricked. This is about thousands of jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars of public money, and corruption.It’s not surprising, but it is ironic that an anti-tax organization would also want to undermine the LCBO and the $2.5 billion in annual revenues it generates for public services. Our question all along has been: how much of our public money do we stand to lose by Ford’s alcohol expansion scheme, and how will the LCBO make up this lost revenue? After all, there are two options to pay for healthcare, education and infrastructure – taxes and LCBO revenues.While the CTF may not care about public services, the Ford government certainly should, and they are the ones making the decisions.That’s why our fight is now. We’re fighting for the future of the LCBO and Ontario because thousands of jobs, and billions of our public dollars are on the line.