FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 16, 2001

Harris a formidable adversary: Casselman

Premier Mike Harris was a tough adversary and his tenure was very hard for the working people of Ontario, said Leah Casselman, President of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU).

Harris announced today he planned to retire from politics.

“We had some very hard-fought battles and he was a foe to be reckoned with. He communicated his message well. With Harris you always knew where he stood and what he was all about. It was the content of that message we disagreed with, ” Casselman said.

“Obviously we had our differences but I do wish him well in his future endeavours,” she said.

Casselman said the future of the Conservative government now hangs in the balance. “We are not celebrating because there are some elements within the Conservative Party that make us very nervous. We wonder if the moderate voices in caucus will prevail or will it be the true believers in tax cuts and weak government who win out.”

Casselman said the events in the world and in Ontario today underline the importance of a professional and fully-staffed public service.

“Harris's experiments with contracting out in the public sector were a failure. We hope the privatization and downloading will now come to an end.”

“Public services as provided by our members are an incredible bargain, and we hope the future leader of the Conservative party will respect the people who work in our public services,” she said.

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For more information, contact:

David Cox, OPSEU Communications : 416-443-8888 x 314