Canadian leaders need a better understanding of working-class people if they hope to develop an effective agenda to meet challenges from inflation and economic instability, according to a report from the Cardus Institute. .“Anyone seeking to represent and serve working-class Canadians needs to consider a whole host of policies, including drug and dental benefits, childcare flexibility, labour regulation, and immigration,” said Cardus work and economics program director and report co-author Renze Nauta in a Thursday press release. .“This isn’t your dad’s working class.” .The report calls for “solutions for workers who lack dental and drug coverage, possibly through federal subsidies to help lower-income individuals buy private insurance plans, or portable, government benefits for workers without employer-provided coverage.”.It said there should be childcare flexibility and affordability with a childcare expense deduction. .The report said Canada needs updated labour regulations to cover people doing ride sharing, deliveries, or courier work through digital platforms. It said new approaches are required by unions “to make themselves relevant to the new working class by emphasizing collaborative approaches rather than adversarial labour relations and traditional political activism.” .It went on to say the Canadian government has to improve credentials recognition for immigrants to help avoid forcing them into working-class jobs they're overqualified for. .The report said almost half working-class Canadians are in service-sector jobs in the present, up from 30% in 1990. It said 53% of working-class Canadians have a post-secondary certificate, diploma, bachelor’s degree, or higher..Cardus said the average hourly wage for working-class jobs ($21 per hour) is almost 42% lower than the average earned in non-working-class occupations ($36 per hour). About 50% of racialized people were employed in working-class jobs compared to 39% of white people in 2016..“Many have an image of the working class that’s stuck in the 1960s,” said Hub editor-at-large and report co-author Sean Speer. .“Today, the working class is more typically a Walmart cashier or an Amazon delivery driver than a General Motors factory worker or a Domtar mill hand.”.Ontario Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton said at the first Canada Strong and Free Network Canadian Optimists discussion series in July conservatives need to care about enhancing the job market if they want to be successful. .READ MORE: Ontario labour minister says conservatives have to improve work conditions.“Conservatives are the parties of working-class Canadians,” said McNaughton. .“I think our success demonstrated that in Ontario.”
