It’s official. In Ontario, the Progressive Conservatives are now the party of organized labour and workers.
As a former Conservative minister of labour, I saw firsthand how worker coalitions mobilize to advocate for policies and programs that benefit their members; what I didn’t expect to see, was them mobilizing in great numbers for a Conservative politician and a Conservative party.
For many years, private sector unions were seen as the bread and butter of the New Democratic Party (NDP), and Liberals. Yet, this didn’t stop Ontario Premier Doug Ford from traversing the union frontier. This PC government recognizes it must reach across traditional political lines in order to build a better Ontario. In fact, Conservatives and unions have more in common than what some may have thought.
Both believe in capital investment to stimulate infrastructure which leads to more jobs for union members; both care about pocketbook issues; and, both are aligned on promoting the value of the skilled trades.
Where did this lead in Ontario? To a 2022 provincial election campaign that saw the Ontario Progressive Conservatives receive endorsements from major private sector unions like LiUNA, the Operating Engineers, and others. Some referred to this as the Big Blue Collar machine that helped the PC party flip ridings in regions like Windsor, and the Greater Toronto Area — leading them to a stronger majority than what they had received in 2018.
After that success, the PC’s had an understandable roadmap forward that only served to complement their existing agenda: invest in infrastructure, ensure you have the workers ready to help the government Get it Done — their 2022 election slogan; and, keep costs down for those workers so they can take more home to their families.
The strategy goes like this — engage with workers at the leadership and shop floor level, hear their stories, and translate their issues into action. With this in mind, Doug Ford and his minister of labour, David Piccini, moved at a breakneck pace to introduce three pieces of working for workers legislation in under two years. Piccini himself described these pieces of legislation as having the stories of the workers impacted etched into their bills.
Rather than wading into issues like labour relations and other pitfalls that come with the labour file, the legislation carried forward measures like expanding cancer coverage for municipal and wildland firefighters, and creating new pathways into the skilled trades while removing traditional barriers to credential recognition for workers in regulated professions.
Conservative policy was not sacrificed either, but transformed in a way that aligned with Premier Ford’s ideology of having people’s backs and ensuring Ontarians are taken care of. This included cracking down on immigration representatives — with the ability to ban exploitative actors that have long been poisoning the system. Likewise, the government harkened back to Harper-era policy with the introduction of mandatory minimum fines in the health and safety system, sending a clear message that no worker’s life can be considered the cost of doing business.
The PC Party put their money where their mouth is too, through investing in training for workers through UniteHere75, a union representing over 25,000 members, predominantly women, racialized hospitality workers across Canada; and, introducing a funding stream to include capital training infrastructure for groups like the Sheet Metal Workers, Carpenters, and other unions. The message was clear: workers, the PC Party is here for you! Unions didn’t just come out for these announcements, they were also there for energy projects, or Highway 413 — it seemed as though they were becoming a hallmark feature of a Ford event.
Fast forward to 2025, Premier Ford is on his way to potentially more than doubling his previous endorsement record. What’s important for Ontarians to understand is that the “who” has changed since 2022.
As opposed to earning support from private sector construction trades alone, Ford has treaded new ground, earning first-in-history endorsements from the public-sector Ontario Professional Firefighters, and multiple manufacturing powerhouse Unifor locals (both of whom had previously rallied behind the Liberals and NDP).
What should be even more concerning for their opponents is that Ford and Piccini have successfully mobilized a union ground game that is unheard of in conservative political circles. In multiple ridings across all corners of the province, there are volunteers from union locals out pounding signs, knocking doors, and helping to get out the vote for the PC Party. They too have publicly shared the concern about what tariffs could mean for their industry, and the need to protect the province from threats posed south of the border.
What I hope is becoming clear now for other Conservative governments and their parties is that this is not a phase, but should rather be considered a movement. One that could cross borders into other provinces, or hold national appeal if effectively prioritized. Ontario has demonstrated the proof of concept. My advice is, it’s time for adoption across Canada; workers and the governments that will support them, only stand to benefit.
Lisa Raitt is a former federal minister of labour.