Toronto, ON — Today, NDP leadership candidate Rob Ashton unveiled his Worker Power Plan. For decades, the rules of the economy have been written by and for CEOs. While corporate profits soar, workers’ wages have stagnated, jobs have become more precarious, and union rights have been eroded.
Rob’s Worker Power Plan will rewrite those rules— giving workers a real voice in boardrooms, stronger tools to organize, and a fair share of the wealth they create.
“For too long, our economy has been run by the rich and powerful of this country,” Ashton said. “Canada’s strength comes from the real economy; The people! The people in every community, who grow our food, build our homes, and care for one another. But too often, we are not the ones making the decisions.”
“It’s the same old ruling class that keeps calling the shots, getting rich off our backs while we struggle to get by,” he continued. “I say, it’s time to put the power back into the hands of the people, the workers. I want to rewrite the rules, so workers have a real voice, the power to organize, and a fair share of the wealth they create.”
“The idea is simple: When workers have power, everyone wins— higher wages, safer workplaces, stronger communities.”
The plan comes as the numbers tell a stark story: Profits up. Pay stuck. In 2024, corporations kept near-record earnings while workers’ real wages barely moved. Union coverage has trended down for decades, hurting workers and our economy. Programs like the Temporary Foreign Workers Program have made it easier for bosses to exploit vulnerable workers and drive down wages — and that hurts everyone.
Countries with strong unions and worker representation enjoy higher productivity, lower inequality, and more stable economies. Every dollar invested in fair wages boosts local economies, supports small businesses, and strengthens communities.
“This economy should work for the people who build it. Not the billionaires who take from it,” Ashton said. “It’s time to put power back where it belongs: in the hands of workers.”
The Worker Power Plan includes five key measures:
- Worker Representation on Corporate Boards – by requiring worker seats on corporate boards.
- Make It Easier to Join a Union – by bringing back one-step union certification and crack down on union-busting tactics.
- Protect the Right to Strike – by repealing section 107.
- Deliver Bigger Paycheques – with Fair pay for government contract and sectoral bargaining.
- Repeal and Replace the Temporary Foreign Workers Program – with a fair program, built from the ground up to protect all workers, their status and their labour.
- Under Liberals and Conservatives, the TFWP is being abused by big bosses to line their pockets by exploiting vulnerable workers and driving down wages.
- We need to replace it with a fair program that:
- Protects your wages by holding employers accountable — when everyone doing the job earns the same fair wage, no one can be used to drag paycheques down.
- Stops the race to the bottom — when all workers get fair pay, wages go up for everyone;
- Gives workers real power — migrant workers will have clean path to permanency, open work permits, they can join unions and organize without fear, which means stronger unions and better wages for everyone;
- Ends the divide and conquer game — bosses can’t pit workers against each other when everyone has the same rights, protections, and status; and
- Keeps jobs fair — employers must prove they can’t find qualified Canadian workers, with unions checking to make sure it’s legit.
