PCs blast province for secret new home-care agency to benefit insider friends

Following reports that the Ontario government is creating a controversial, new home-care agency that could benefit a key ally of premier Kathleen Wynne, the Progressive Conservatives (PCs) are blasting the Liberals for policy-making that is eroding Ontario's democracy.

Sources within the health-care industry say the largest beneficiary of this new agency won't be the patients, but the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) SEIU Healthcare which is well-known for its "cozy ties" to the Ontario Liberal party.

SEIU is bankrolling Working Ontario Women, a front-group running a massive attack ad campaign against Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown.

"The Ontario PCs can take a punch," said PC deputy leader Steve Clark, ethics and accountability critic. "We knew all along that taking down a politically-corrupt party would get ugly."

Clark called on the Wynne Liberals to release the following:
 

• Confirmation from the Wynne Liberals if the creation of this secret agency had anything to do with the Working Ontario Women ads we are seeing on the airwaves
• The immediate release of the details of any meetings the Wynne Liberals have had with SEIU in the last couple of months
• The immediate release of details of any and all consultations the Wynne Liberals had with stakeholder organizations during the creation of this new, secret agency
• The immediate release of information showing how this new agency will improve patient care

"Clearly the creation of this secret agency was a political decision," said Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Jeff Yurek. "Everyone in the industry knows it. Kathleen Wynne's been caught making policy that's bad for Ontario and good for her insider friends."

Yurek noted that the Wynne Liberals tried to bury this announcement as a bullet at the bottom of a press release, and pointed out that such organizations as Patients Canada, Home Care Ontario, and the Ontario Personal Support Workers Association, have been critical.

"For years, this Liberal government has looked out for the interests of insiders and the well-connected first, leaving everyday Ontario families working harder, paying more, and getting less," said Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson. "Life is good for Kathleen Wynne and her insider friends, and they will do or say anything to keep it that way."

"The people of Ontario deserve answers," said Clark. "They deserve better than this 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine' culture of politics. They deserve to know whether or not their tax dollars are going toward the purchasing of Liberal attack ads."

Timeline of Events:
 

• Nov. 18-20, 2016: Michael Spitale, SEIU Healthcare's lobbyist, is acclaimed as president of the Ontario Liberal Party at the annual general meeting.
• April 27, 2017: The Wynne Liberals release the 2017 budget which includes a mandatory registry and training program for Personal Support Workers (PSWs) that will be an exclusive partnership with SEIU.
• May 19, 2017: OPSEU (Ontario Public Service Employees Union) and OPSWA (Ontario Personal Support Workers Association) blast the registry and training program for PSWs, with Smokey Thomas saying, "This whole affair smacks of shady inside relationships that dangerously erode union democracy and the rights of workers to choose."
• July 6, 2017: Spitale resigns as president of the Ontario Liberal Party, because according to a party spokesperson, he "has agreed to take on more responsibilities within the union."
• Sept. 20, 2017: Working Ontario Women registers as a not-for-profit.
• Oct. 5, 2017: The Wynne Liberals announce the creation of the new home-care agency as a bullet buried at the bottom of a press release.
• Oct. 12, 2017: Working Ontario Women launches their new ad blitz with an exclusive story in the "Toronto Star."
• Nov. 6, 2017: The CBC first reports on the new home-care agency, and interviews stakeholders concerned about the changes.
• Nov. 7, 2017: Connections are made between SEIU and the new home-care organization.
• Nov. 9, 2017: Ontario's third-party advertising limits kick in.