Randall Denley: The LCBO union will lose, but Ford's anti-monopoly crusade remains incomplete
Ontario has a misguided union disrupting businesses, a government monopoly that can’t serve its customers, and a premier who seems powerless
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The attempt by LCBO workers to stop the expansion of beer, wine and canned-cocktail sales to corner stores is a little hard to figure for those who dwell in the rational world. There is absolutely no chance whatsoever that the Doug Ford government is going to go back on the expansion, which is a deal that takes effect next month.
Ford made it abundantly clear at a media availability on Wednesday that he’s not backing down on the plan. And yet, Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) president JP Hornick says this latest bit of “privatization” is where the union has drawn its “line in the sand.” Hornick went so far as to suggest that the union was “making history.”
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If only this boneheaded move was unique. In fact, the strike is a perfect illustration of the central delusion of public sector unions, the idea that they can and should dictate government policies. It’s a notion that rests on a shaky foundation of anti-business ideology and hubris. In the unions’ world, it doesn’t matter if a democratically elected government is acting on an explicit election promise. Ford promised the corner store alcohol sales in 2018 and now he’s finally delivering.
If the union thinks........
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