Thread by @DBrabblerouser

Ontario's Conservatives named their expert panel to design a portable benefits scheme for gig workers in Ontario. Who are they? And what does it tell us about the portable benefits and gig worker rights? 🧵

#Justice4Workers #Onpoli

The Panel:
➡️ Susan McArthur.
➡️Sunil Johal.
➡️Brad Nicpon.
➡️Marlayna Perrone.
➡️Allan Shapira.

It is tasked with providing "advice on the design of a benefits plan tied to workers instead of employers."

news.ontario.ca/en/release/100…

Susan McArthur (Chair), Co-Founder and Executive Chair, LockDocs Inc. McArthur is a former investment banker turned venture capitalist. LockDocs Inc is a digital identity startup that aims to serve the financial services industry.

McArthur ran for the federal Conservatives in 2021 (and lost) in the Glengarry—Prescott—Russell riding (Ottawa area). A big time corporate rightwinger. Here is an interview with her last year during the election:

Sunil Johal, Vice President, Public Policy, CSA Group.
Johal is the intellectual (policy) muscle behind of portable benefits in Canada. Most of his work is essentially referencing and repeating Uber talking points about the new economy.

This article he co-authored (cited in the OWRAC report), essentially uses Uber's push in Washington state for portable benefits as a good model. I have read numerous works of his on portable benefits, it is a pattern ppforum.ca/publications/p…

Brad Nicpon, Partner, McCarthy Tétrault.
A lawyer at a big international law firm (over a 1000 lawyers in 7 cities). He works on infrastructure, procurement, P3s, construction & project development. Expertise is really P3 projects. Firm is well connected to financial sector.

Marlayna Perrone, a professional sommelier. It's claimed she is an advocate, but there is zero info about her other that she is a sommelier and the she was (is) a Food & Beverage Coordinator at the Toronto Golf Club. Guess some Tory met her while golfing or at a wine tasting

Allan Shapira, Senior Partner and Managing Director, Aon Wealth Solutions. Shapira is a well known actuary. An expert on the design and funding of pension plans, especially in the PSE sector. A consistent advocate of two-tier pensions.

Here is a slideshow that Shapira gave at WLU in 2011, advocating new hires should not have any Defined Benefit component to their pension plan. This what this guy does and has been doing for years. slideplayer.com/slide/4958923/

The panel is clearly stacked to favour employers and to come up with a portable benefit scheme that looks nice but ultimately helps employers like Uber save money by not making them offer full rights and benefits.

There are no real advocates, labour lawyers, gig workers on this panel. This is exactly what the OWRAC panel was like. A total stitch up. But we will all have to get in there and force their hand to ensure all workers have full access to benefits and rights in the workplace.

Follow @GigWorkersUnite @fairwagesnow to get involved!