Hamilton Centre MPP Andrea Horwath wants Premier Dalton McGuinty to make good on his promise to workers and stop their new holiday from being hijacked.

Many workers will be deprived of the new statutory holiday on February 18th because, Horwath says, “in their rush to get an election goody out the door, the Liberals mismanaged the planning of Premier McGuinty’s much-trumpeted Family Day.”

“There will be large numbers of people excluded from the Premier’s promise of a new holiday,” said Horwath. “Adding to the confusion, child care centres will be closed and parents who are forced to work on the holiday will have added stress finding alternative child care arrangements. How is this in keeping with the spirit of Premier McGuinty’s so-called Family Day?”

Steelworkers in Hamilton have complained that employers refuse to honour the newly decreed holiday. Legislatively, the McGuinty government has done nothing to ensure workers do get the day off, Horwath said.

“Welcome to Ontario – home of the two-tiered statutory holiday,” Horwath said wryly. “On this single, rare occasion that Dalton McGuinty attempts to keep a promise, he fumbles in the delivery and comes up short for Ontario workers. He should be making it clear to employers that this is a day for families to be respected, or else.”