TORIES FOCUS ON WELFARE REFORM

Platform includes literacy tests, more workfare

The Ontario Tories will make welfare reform central to their bid for a
second mandate.

The controversial work-for-welfare scheme that was a key element in
the Progressive Conservatives' 1995 election promises is strongly
resurrected in the party's new platform document.

The latest version of welfare reform released by the party yesterday
includes plans to:

* Make welfare recipients pass a basic math and language test, with
remedial training for those who fail. Those who refuse could lose
their benefits.

* Give case workers power to order drug tests for welfare recipients,
with mandatory treatment for those who fail, or loss of benefits if
they refuse.

* Permanently cut off benefits to anyone convicted of defrauding the
welfare system.

* Expand workfare to include jobs in parks and road maintenance
programs. Conservative party officials said yesterday this move could
require legislation that would change existing collective agreements
with some unions.

* Penalize cities and towns that do not push to place people in
workfare jobs.

``This is to ensure that every person today who is dependent upon
welfare, who has the ability to learn or to work, is given that
opportunity or given that chance,'' Premier Mike Harris said in
unveiling his ``Blueprint'' platform.

Government statistics show that more than 370,000 people have left the
province's welfare rolls since the Tories were elected, cut welfare
rates by 21.6 per cent and introduced workfare.

But Harris told reporters that with more than 600,000 individuals and
their children still dependent on the system in Ontario, more has to
be done.

The Conservatives plan to more than double the number of people
participating in workfare.

In the past four years, more than 500,000 people have been placed in
work-for-welfare jobs or training, including voluntary positions, jobs
with government and non-profit agencies and, most recently, in the
private sector.

But the program got off to a slow start and many critics argued that
the plan was a public relations exercise and in fact most people were
not participating in workfare.

New Democrat MPP Frances Lankin (Beaches-Woodbine) accused the
Conservatives of attacking the province's poor in this latest platform
and falling short on leadership.

``I was shocked, it is breathtaking to see a government leading in
that way, in a way that stigmatizes people further, it doesn't offer
help,'' she said of the latest welfare initiatives.

Lankin added that just because the workfare platform drew votes in
1995 does not mean it will work again.

``Because it was successful, doesn't mean it's not
despicable.''

Deputy Liberal Leader Gerry Phillips (Scarborough-Agincourt) said the
welfare ``hot button'' was simply an attempt to draw attention away
from the government's failings.

``He may try and divert attention, but nobody in Ontario is going to
be diverted from the tragedy of health care,'' Phillips said.

John Clarke of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty said that the
move to push more people to work for their welfare cheque was not in
the least surprising.

``What this really comes down to is an attempt to demonize and
criminalize the poor - again,'' Clarke said.