Unifor responds to Ontario Budget 2026: Progress noted, but workers need stronger protections amid economic uncertainty

Unifor

|March 26, 2026

Unifor welcomes targeted investments in Ontario’s 2026 Budget that support workers including improved pension protections. The union stresses that more needs to be done to address rising unemployment, affordability, and strained public services, particularly the province’s under resourced health care system.

“Ontario sits at the centre of Canada’s economy and the front lines of the ongoing trade war, where workers in trade-exposed sectors and their families are feeling the impact,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

“The Ontario government has been leading the charge against Trump’s crushing tariffs and today more than ever families need stability. That means sustained investment, and a strong Sell Here, Build Here strategy that anchors production in Canada, strengthens domestic supply chains, and ensures workers benefit from every public dollar invested. We encourage government to stay focused on protecting jobs, strengthening domestic supply chains, and ensuring workers have the supports they need to weather economic shocks.”

Unifor welcomed measures in the budget that resists austerity and aim to support workers, including support for skills training and infrastructure spending.

The union is encouraged by the province’s new $1.1 billion investment in home and community care but notes that without addressing chronic staffing shortages and increased public funding subsidizing private, for-profit health care and long term care operators, these investments risk falling short of delivering the quality care that Ontarians need. Further, while enhanced investment in primary care doctors is a very important step, Ontario must also ensure that all the two million Ontarians who don’t have a family doctor will get one.

“Frontline workers and patients are still dealing with the fallout of years of underinvestment,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi. “Long wait times, overcrowded emergency rooms, and staff burnout continue to define the system. This budget does not go far enough to address the scale of the crisis. Ontarians deserve a health care system that is properly staffed, publicly delivered, and accessible to all.”

Unifor is also calling on the province to take further action on affordability, as rising costs continue to strain workers across the province, including committing to $10-a-day child care.

The union continues to closely monitor several outstanding policy areas, including the need for expansion of Buy Ontario provisions to include heavy-duty fleet vehicles and establish minimum thresholds of Canadian content and value for all preferred goods and services, proposed changes to iGaming regulations, and updates to pension plan rules.

Unifor is pleased to see the expansion of the Pension Benefit Guarantee Fund (PBGF) reflected in the budget, which is critical to protecting the pensions of Ontario workers. This policy change ensures that all Ontario workers in defined benefit plans, including retirees, will have enhanced retirement security.

The union has expressed concern over potential plans to liberalize holiday shopping rules, which it strongly opposes due to the impact on retail workers and their families. Unifor continues to call for meaningful consultation and protections that uphold statutory holidays.

Unifor’s response builds on its recent national lobby in Ottawa, where union leaders and members called for urgent action to protect Canadian jobs.

Through Unifor’s Protect Canadian Jobs campaign, the union is advocating for measures including stronger industrial strategies, investment in domestic manufacturing, and policies that prioritize Canadian workers and supply chains.

“Governments at every level must work together to defend Canadian jobs and build a resilient economy,” Payne said. “That starts with putting workers first.”

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