Ottawa Centre MPP Yasir Naqvi has a plan for tackling labour issues in his new role as minister of labour – collaboration.
“In tough economic times we all need to work together, especially with our labour partners from the public and private sector,” says Naqvi.
“I want to bring that culture of collaboration in finding solutions to some of the tough challenges we are facing today.”
The first-time cabinet minister says his main focus now is reading about his portfolio and meeting with those involved to learn about the ministry before he sets priorities and puts together an agenda.
The Ministry of Labour is set to introduce new regulations this year that would require employers to have mandatory health and safety awareness programs for their workers.
Naqvi says he’ll have more to say about the government’s proposal of new occupational health and safety requirements when he’s up to speed on the issues.
Ottawa and District Labour Council president Sean McKenny says worker health and safety should be “front and centre” for Naqvi.
The council represents 90 union locals in the area with more than 50,000 workers as members.
“Hopefully anything that he does moves toward ensuring that there are protections for workers, through not only existing legislation, but legislation that is going to protect workers and penalize employers appropriately enough so they recognize they can’t put the lives of workers in jeopardy,” says McKenny.
Statistics from Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board show 304 workers died from work-related incidents or occupation diseases in 2011.
McKenny says just by looking at the news there have been a significant number of workers injured or killed on the job in Ottawa in the last year and he believes the labour minister should make a safe and healthy workplace his priority.
“I know at times Mr. Naqvi can listen, but it’s a lot more than just listening though, you have to be able to act. It’s not good enough just to say you understand really well what workers are up against every day when they go to work,” says McKenny.
McKenny says that the government needs to have discussions with businesses and labour unions to ensure there are jobs in the province. Earlier this month, Statistics Canada reported that Ontario lost 31, 200 jobs in the month of January, with the unemployment rate at 7.7 per cent.
Naqvi says everyone has a role to play in finding ways to grow the economy and create new jobs together. “I see the ministry of labour as very much part and parcel of that conversation on the growth of the economy.”.
As the former parliamentary assistant to the minister of finance, Naqvi was appointed to his new position after six years in the legislature.
Naqvi says he’ll continue to be very active in issues that are important to the Ottawa Centre community. “They will get the same high-level and diligent service that they’ve always received from me.”
As a member of cabinet, Naqvi can only introduce legislation on behalf of the government. Naqvi had sponsored four private member’s bills in the last session that were killed when Parliament was prorogued. One of the bills he tabled was aimed at stopping lawsuits from being used to prevent individuals or community groups from advocating in public interest matters.
William Amos, director of Ecojustice, an environmental law clinic at the University of Ottawa, says the piece of legislation was a worthwhile initiative by Naqvi and doesn’t expect the bill to be shelved.
“I believe Yasir Naqvi is committed to this issue, I believe that he has the support of a sufficient number of members of the Ontario legislature and it has a strong potential to be enacted with bipartisan support,” Amos says.
Naqvi says while he can only table government policy, he will continue to pursue all the ideas behind the bills from his cabinet position.
“I think this gives me the opportunity to directly work with ministers within the cabinet and I hope to advocate so that they can be adopted by the government,” says Naqvi.
Naqvi stepped down as president of the Ontario Liberal Party after his appointment as labour minister.