Aleema Ali
Premier Kathleen Wynne arrived at Humber College Lakeshore campus Friday to a packed room of students and media as part of her annual post-secondary tour, but also to boost her campaign for re-election.
The event comes less than three months before the June election and before a throne speech expected Monday.
“You’ll have to wait [till Monday] to find out,” she said when asked about what will be outlined in the speech.
The Premier covered a variety of topics such as the minimum wage increase that is opposed by new PC leader Doug Ford. She also spoke about education, touching on the benefits of the new free tuition program for families who earn under $40, 000 a year. Rent control, healthcare and pot legalization were also topics of conversation.
Doug Ford shakes things up
The Premier came down on Ford for ignoring what the people want and adhering to what large corporations want instead. She said he wants to freeze the second hike in minimum wage next year.
“He is not listening to workers, he’s listening to big businesses, and big businesses are saying ‘not now’ to a fair 15 dollar minimum wage,” Wynne said.
She said the minimum wage increase was paired with Canadian living on a whole, recognizing that 11 dollars an hour was not enough to live on.
“What we know is that if you’re working 40 hours a week earning 11 dollars and 40 cents an hour, you likely have to go to the food bank at the end of the week because you can’t make ends meet,” Wynne explains.
Ford said in an interview with CBC earlier in the week that the legalization of marijuana is still unknown territory and the private sectors should not be cancelled out.
“I don’t believe in the government sticking their hands in our lives all the time. I believe in letting the market dictate,” he told CBC Radio’s Ottawa Morning Tuesday.
Wynne did not comment on whether or not she believes her youth vote is at risk.
At the end, students were given the chance to ask the Premier any burning questions they had.
The speech Friday gave the Premier the chance to appeal to them before June 7 when the ultimate decision will be made.
College campuses are one of my favourite places. This morning I told the students I met at @HumberCollege that we’ll continue to support them with free tuition, OHIP+, rent control & more pic.twitter.com/FWY6Ouv41o
— Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) March 16, 2018