Endorsement driven by the party’s strong commitment to investing in skilled trades and protecting Ontario workers
SUDBURY, February 23, 2025 — Today, Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs welcomed an endorsement from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1687, which represents more than 700 electrical workers across Northeastern Ontario. Their endorsement reflects the Ontario PCs’ strong commitment to investing in workers, boosting economic growth and protecting Ontario against the threat of President Trump’s tariffs.
“I’m truly honoured to receive the support of Kevin Gaudaur and the skilled electrical workers of IBEW Local 1687 who are building our future,” said Doug Ford. “As President Trump’s tariffs threaten to drive up costs and hurt our workers, I’ll protect Ontario workers by investing in training and infrastructure to keep workers on the job. With the support of Ontario workers and a strong, stable mandate for the next four years, we will do whatever is needed to protect our jobs, businesses, families and communities.”
“The 700+ skilled electrical workers of IBEW Local 1687 are at the heart of building our northern communities, constructing everything from long-term care homes to essential transmission lines and building and maintaining the mines, mills, smelters, and steel plants in our area. U.S. tariffs will negatively affect many of these projects in Northeastern Ontario, putting the livelihoods of our electricians, powerline workers, network cabling specialists, and apprentices at risk,” said Kevin Gaudaur, Business Manager and Financial Secretary of IBEW Local 1687. “We need a leader who understands these challenges and is committed to fighting for fair trade and supporting our members. These reasons, coupled with Doug Ford’s renewed commitment to enforce compulsory certifications in the electrical trade, are why I proudly endorse Doug Ford in the upcoming election, and I call on all IBEW 1687 members to do the same. With the backing of the PC government, we’ve been able to modernize our training facility and offer more in-person and online training opportunities– even opening doors for secondary school students to access training to kickstart their careers in the construction industry – so that more people can benefit from the opportunities that come from infrastructure investments happening in the North.”
“On behalf of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction Council of Ontario, which represents 11 local Unions and 18,000 members across Ontario, I would like to announce our continued endorsement for Doug Ford and David Piccini. Throughout my personal leadership career spanning more than three decades, NO provincial government or political party has done more for the electrical trade than our current government under the leadership of Doug Ford,” said James Barry, Executive Secretary-Treasurer at IBEW CCO. “Doug Ford and David Piccini’s willingness to have open, honest conversations at literally any given time, day or night, and their commitment to our members’ education along with a renewed commitment to upholding the integrity of our trade as Registered Apprentices and Licensed Journeypersons is truly unprecedented. I look forward to working with both Doug and David in the months and years ahead to accomplish our shared common goals for our entire membership and ALL compulsory certified tradespersons across this great province of Ontario.”
Since 2018, the Ontario PCs have supported and invested significantly in the skilled trades, including the following:
- Almost $2 million through the Skills Development Fund to IBEW Local 1687 to redevelop their training facility and provide in-person training, online training, hybrid in-person and online training, and virtual reality/augmented reality training. This training includes forklifts, scissor lifts, articulating boom lifts, spider cranes, working at heights, hoisting and rigging, HILTI gun training, motor controls, and more.
- More than $63 million to help students and young people get first-hand experience and prepare for future careers in the skilled trades.
- Creating a new 27-week job-protected long-term illness leave for workers with a serious medical condition.
- Putting money back into workers’ pockets by waiving the fee for apprentices taking their first Certificate of Qualification exam, saving each apprentice up to $570 throughout their apprenticeship journey.
Only Doug Ford has a plan to protect Ontario:
- Building Ontario’s economy by investing more than $200 billion in our plan to build roads, highways, transit and other infrastructure projects while investing $2.5 billion to train more than one million people for better jobs and bigger paycheques in the skilled trades.
- Protecting workers in the face of President Trump’s tariffs by doing whatever is necessary to protect people’s livelihoods, including by investing tens of billions of dollars to keep people working.
- Keeping us competitive by fighting the job-killing Liberal carbon tax and urging the federal government to cut red tape and streamline approvals to get big things built.
- Cleaning up our streets by protecting families and children by banning drug injection sites near schools and daycares and clearing out encampments from public parks with new investments in shelters.
- Delivering better care, including by investing $1.8 billion more to connect everyone in Ontario to a family doctor and primary care.
Doug Ford will never stop working to protect Ontario.
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