Rolling back labour reforms — including cancelling paid sick days and freezing the $14-an-hour minimum wage — is taking its toll on Premier Doug Ford’s popularity, a new poll suggests.The Campaign Research survey found Ford’s Progressive Conservatives, who won the June 7 election with 40.5 per cent of the vote, have dropped to 34 per cent.That compared to 32 per cent for the Liberals under interim leader John Fraser, 25 per cent for Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats, and 7 per cent for Mike Schreiner’s Green.Last spring, the Liberals, then led by former premier Kathleen Wynne, garnered 19.6 per cent of the vote while the NDP received 33.6 per cent and the Greens had 4.6 per cent.“It could be a little bit that the honeymoon is over,” Campaign Research CEO Eli Yufest said Tuesday“As the memory of Kathleen Wynne fades … the Liberals are regaining their natural relatively strong position with the electorate,” said Yufest.Read more:With new labour laws on the chopping block, what’s at stake for Ontario’s workers?Doug Ford steps up attacks on ‘job killing’ labour protectionsOpinion | Ford driving a race to the bottom for Ontario’s lowest-paid workers“The electorate … wanted to send the Liberals a message and they’ve done so,” he added, noting Wynne’s low personal standing “sunk” popular Liberal initiatives like improved workplace protections and a higher minimum wage.“Ford needs to do a better job telling workers why getting rid of those measures is a good thing for business and a good thing for workers. He hasn’t done that.”Indeed, 77 per cent of Ontarians oppose the premier’s decision to scrap two paid sick leave days while 17 per cent favoured that and 6 per cent were unsure.About half of those polled — 52 per cent — were opposed to Ford stopping a planned increase of the minimum wage to $15 on Ja ...
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