Canadian Politics Today

some of those lacking full and rounded knowledge are easily swayed by the 'johnny-come-lately' CPC/O'Toole buzzword-like references to so-called 'gig workers'.

Erin O’Toole’s Plan For Gig Workers Was ‘Carbon Copied’ From Uber’s Corporate Lobbyists --- Gig workers warn the Conservative leader’s plan would erode employment standards and create a permanent underclass of precarious workers

One of Conservative leader Erin O’Toole’s platform proposals to help gig workers is identical to demands from Uber’s corporate lobbyists that would undermine Canadian employment standards, gig workers say.

“The Conservative platform is clearly a carbon copy of Uber’s Flexible Work+,” Jennifer Scott, president of Gig Workers United told PressProgress, adding that O’Toole’s platform would “create a third category of worker.”

O’Toole’s platform promises that a Conservative government would require app-based companies like Uber, Lyft and Skip the Dishes to make contributions to an Employee Savings Account every time they pay workers. Workers would be able to withdraw from these funds “as needed.”

What O’Toole doesn’t mention is that his proposal aligns with Uber’s recent lobbying to change provincial labour laws around worker classification. Uber falsely told Canadians it cannot offer workers benefits without changes to Employment Standards and worker classification policies.