TORONTO – The president of the Ontario Public Service
Employees Union is calling on the government of Ontario to re-think its
plans to privatize ServiceOntario.
“This decision has been made without consultation and
without full consideration of the impacts of privatization,” said Warren
(Smokey) Thomas. “I am calling on the government to put its plans to sell
ServiceOntario on hold.”
Thomas made the statement following remarks today by Finance
Minister Dwight Duncan.
The government’s own data show that 85 per cent of
the most frequent transactions at ServiceOntario take place in person,
Thomas said, and people prefer and expect in-person service.
“Face-to-face service needs to be maintained,” he said, “but
from the Minister’s remarks it appears that if you expect personal services
from this government, you’re out of luck.
“In addition, we strongly object to handing ServiceOntario
over to a private company as a so-called ‘public-private partnership’”
Thomas said. “P3s mean citizens pay – not for the service they receive, but
for high profits and higher financing costs in the private sector. The
Minister acknowledged today that the provinces financial problems are
revenue problems so ServiceOntario, which collects billions in fees, should
be supported rather than undermined.”
Thomas said the lack of consultation on the upcoming
provincial budget has been “a low point in the democratic history of this
province.” He called on the government to craft a consultation process that
would be at least as inclusive as the traditional pre-budget hearings of the
Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.
“The Minister stated clearly today that he now wants a
dialogue,” Thomas said. “He recognized that Ontario has the most efficient
provincial public services in Canada and he seemed to be hinting that
corporate tax cuts are a questionable economic and fiscal strategy, which is
what we’ve been saying all along.
“Democracy means people have a say in the decisions that
affect them,” he said. “I’ve got 2,000 hard-working, capable members who
have been providing quality public services asking serious question about
their futures. We all welcome the Minister’s statements about the importance
of balance and dialogue. They’ve got a right not only to be heard but to be
listened to. OPSEU is always ready to get into this discussion .”
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