User:Mellohi!/sandbox/2022 Ontario strikes

In November 2022, various strikes broke out throughout the Canadian province of Ontario. One of these strikes was in response to the government of Doug Ford using section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to prohibit members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees from legally striking and impose a contract on education workers.

Prelude

NDP legislative assembly protest

On November 3, 2022, the Ontario NDP conducted a protest in which several of its members would be forced out of a debate on incoming legislation penalising CUPE members. The interim leader of the opposition, Peter Tabuns, first stated that Doug Ford's government was "lying about the damage they're doing to the education system." After refusing to retract the statement, Tabuns was ordered by speaker Ted Arnott to leave the debate. In response, other NDP MPPs interjected with shouting and desk banging, leading to the removal of 15 other NDP MPPs from the debate.

Strikes

CUPE and OPSEU strikes

On November 4, 2022, 55,000 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees conducted a strike. 8,000 Ontario Public Service Employees Union members also joined the CUPE members in striking.

Responses from federal leaders

Prime minister Justin Trudeau condemned Ford's government for the use of Section 33 as "an attack on people’s fundamental rights and, in this case, is an attack on one of the most basic rights available — that of collective bargaining."