Ontario Lib. leader Del Duca proposes four-day work week

The Ontario Liberals say they will launch a project to “analyze the potential for a four-day work-week” if elected in June 2022.

Leader Steven Del Duca announced the proposal yesterday afternoon during anaddress at his party’s Annual General Meeting; he noted that research was being done in other countries such as New Zealand, Japan and Spain.

“I want us to understand if it has merit here,” Del Duca told the party in the public address. “We’re a party that believes in science, expertise and evidence-based decision-making and so I want us to gather the facts in an open and transparent way.”

“Let me be clear, improving the way we work does not mean that people don’t want to work hard.” Del Duca claims a four-day work week would allow employees to work the same number of hours over four days instead of five, resulting in a longer break period between shifts.

One company in Ontario has already implemented the practice after a testing period, saying it helped prevent burnout and had a minimal impact on productivity.

"The truth is that it was instantly impactful on our business," Jamie Savage, CEO and founder of Toronto-based recruitment company The Leadership Agency, told CTV News Toronto earlier this month.

Employees with The Leadership Agency still receive the same pay and number of vacation days per year.

Del Duca noted how this follows a trend of revaluating work in the aftermath of COVID-19.

“People want the chance to work hard and work meaningfully, without their job having a brutally negative impact on families, mental health, the environment and quality of life,” he said. “We need people in Ontario, particularly the next generation of workers, to believe they can live happy lives and pursue rewarding careers right here."