Child care policy researcher. Activist. Feminist. Grandmother. Working with many others to build a Canada-wide quality child care system.
Toronto
Joined April 2015
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MarthaFriendly retweeted
Calling the 87,000 people who participated in the Billy Bishop Airport consultation a “fringe group” because you disagree with them is lazy, but it is also antithetical to democracy. We shouldn’t tolerate this behaviour from an elected official.
The consultation process is only legitimate when it produces the outcome you want?
This is the same rhetorical tactic Donald Trump has repeatedly used: dismissing critics and opponents as illegitimate rather than engaging with the substance of their arguments. Undermine those whose views you don’t like by making things up about ‘who’ they are. Nice. Very nice.
We shouldn’t normalize this kind of politics in Canada.
We’ve seen where it leads.
Toronto island airport expansion killed by 'fringe group': Ontario minister nationalnewswatch.com/2026/0… #nationlnewswatch via @natnewswatch
MarthaFriendly retweeted
Good to know what your govt thinks of you and anyone who dares oppose them. I'm happy to be part of a 100,000+ concerned voices or what is now a so called "fringe group"
Blasting Ottawa for listening to ‘a small fringe group in Toronto'
thestar.com/politics/provinc… via @torontostar
Yes, why indeed.... There is no good reason whatsoever for this #cdnchildcare
MarthaFriendly retweeted
Today, Deputy Mayor @ausmalik and I submitted an urgent motion to demand the Province of Ontario give back our waterfront, including the Toronto Islands and Little Norway Park.
We have been demanding to see the plans, despite the Toronto Port Authority actively hiding them. We have researched the impacts on housing, the environment, congestion, and more. We have discovered who would benefit - like the Wall Street bankers at JP Morgan. Council has formally opposed the unacceptable overreach. We still do.
We thank the Federal government for listening, and the thousands of people who worked relentlessly to make Toronto's voices heard.
Return our waterfront to us.
So right - I have been so puzzled by the failure of national political leaders to recognize this. Post secondary education is a key piece of smart economic policy and - as the evidence shows - protective against right wing populism and fascism.
Opinion: It’s time to recognize higher education as a matter of national security for Canada /via @globeandmail theglobeandmail.com/opinion/…
Here's more undermining of CWELCC plan for @cdnchildcare (surprised @globeandmail editorial didn't include this) : shifting back to higher parent fees though provincial govt promotion of extra fees to cover gaps in public funding bit.ly/4xYUFxb.
In a shocker, @globeandmail wants to ditch universal childcare.
It should target the subsidies at parents who want to work but can’t, or would struggle to, pay for child care out of pocket. And it should leave it to families to decide where to spend the $.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/…
Yes, @globeandmail argues for mix of bad-policy alternatives to CWELCC. These vouchers, tax credits, more for-profits, shifting costs back to parents via income testing have one thing in common: all have been tried, and all are shown not to deliver the @cdnchildcare families need
In a shocker, @globeandmail wants to ditch universal childcare.
It should target the subsidies at parents who want to work but can’t, or would struggle to, pay for child care out of pocket. And it should leave it to families to decide where to spend the $.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/…
Funny how much Ford Fest brings Tammany Hall's free shindigs and clambakes to mind (I confess to being an ex-New Yorker, so learned about Boss Tweed in school) #ontpoli.
Ford Fest is two weeks away!
Join me and our @OntarioPCParty team on June 19 from 5:00-9:00 p.m. at Thomson Memorial Park in Scarborough for an evening of great food, music and fun for the whole family.
MarthaFriendly retweeted
Child Care Now is asking the House of Commons Finance Committee (FINA) to recommend a larger investment in CWELCC as part of the federal government’s plan to make Canada strong. Read more here: ow.ly/2G6i50Z5pxG
That's a good response - what I'm hoping to hear from my MP, @docdanielle . Expanding the island airport makes no sense in about 10 different ways - unless you happen to be JP Morgan or any of its behind-the-scenes companies.
In this article, we have a strong response from Liberal MP Rob Oliphant, who recognizes the important role city plays in the tripartite agreement, and that expanding Pearson makes a lot more sense! thestar.com/politics/federal… #topoli #cdnpoli
MarthaFriendly retweeted
I wish the Ontario patient in agony in an ER chair (because there are no open beds) had the same lobbying capacity like the American bank JP Morgan worth $795 billion and who own Billy Bishop airport. Protect Ontario. Op-Ed by @richardwarnica
thestar.com/opinion/star-col…
Many of us Torontonians who are sick and tired of trying to protect Ontario from @fordnation will find it unforgivable if our federal representatives allow this travesty to go ahead @MarkJCarney @juliedabrusin @docdanielle @lesliechurch @DolyBegum @RunChiNguyenRun @HonAhmedHussen
Ford wants to take over Toronto's waterfront and the Billy Bishop island airport from Queen's Park. But aviation is federally regulated. So on June 10, I'm going on a road trip to Ottawa and calling on the federal government to reveal their true intentions. After all, if Prime Minister Carney can’t stand up to Doug Ford, then how can we expect him to stand up to Donald Trump?
Visit chrisglover.ca/on-to-ottawa for details on how to join us on this trek! This fight is nowhere near over. 💪🏼
The Ford govt has an unerring knack of always doing the wrong thing. The educational activities at the TDSB outdoor education centres were fabulous for my kids but most important was that they were accessible to all kids. Novel idea - eh? Gotta protect Ontario from @fordnation
Only this government could celebrate “Get Outside Month” by shutting down outdoor education centres.
For Doug Ford, education is just numbers on a spreadsheet. For students, these spaces are confidence, community, hands-on learning, and opportunities they may never get otherwise.
#onpoli
MarthaFriendly retweeted
Torontonians aren’t asking for a runway on the lake so Bay Street CEOs can land their private jets. They’re asking for better health care, smaller class sizes, and safer highways in Northern Ontario. Those are the priorities that matter.
MarthaFriendly retweeted
Today, thousands of us sent a clear message to Doug Ford’s Conservatives:
❌ Stop privatizing health care
✅ Start funding our hospitals
🚑 Ensure everyone gets the public health care they need
I agree with @OntarioHealthC – our public health care is for people, not profit.
Go Tina...great work doing what good journalists should do.
MarthaFriendly retweeted
Greetings PM @MarkJCarney & MPs who represent Toronto. Since all airports in 🇨🇦 are under exclusive federal jurisdiction, what is your stand on the expansion of the Billy Bishop Airport? Many Ontarians, who vehemently object to the expansion, want a timely response. #cdnpoli ✈️🛫
It's been a whirlwind day at Queen's Park so far as committee hearings begin on Bill 110, Building Billy Bishop Airport Act.
I spoke with the media after an intense back-and-forth with the Minister of Transportation.
#ONpoli