CANADIAN LABOUR- ONTARIO:

BOYCOTT SEARS:

On April 1 2010 (no foolin') Sears Canada locked out almost 500 employees at their distribution warehouse in Vaughan Ontario. This was in response to the employees, represented by United Steel Workers Local 9537, refusal to accept across the board cutbacks in both wages and benefits. Since then Local 9537 has garnered support form numerous other labour organizations in Canada and has called for a boycott of Sears to put pressure on the company to deal reasonably. They have a Facebook page for the boycott that you can check out for ongoing information. On April 27 the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) called for endorsement of the boycott. The Sears workers and their supporters want you to boycott Sears until this dispute is resolved and to spread the word as much as possible. You might also want to write Sears management about the matter. Here's a list of Sears executives.

The following is a list of email addresses of corporate executives and the corporate head office address of Sears Canada Inc.:

**Dene L. Rogers, President and Chief Executive Officer - drogers@sears.ca
**Allen Ravas, Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer - aravas@sears.ca
**Tim Flemming, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Procurement and Supply Chain - tflemmi@sears.ca
**Dennis Singh, Senior Vice-President, Retail Stores - dsingh@sears.ca
**Vincent Power, Corporate Communications - vpower@sears.ca

Sears Canada Inc.
290 Yonge St., Suite 700
Toronto, Ontario
M5B 2C3

CANADIAN LABOUR:

BOYCOTT SKLAR PEPPLER, ALAN WHITE FURNITURE:

The Sklar Peppler plant in Ajax Ontario is one of those where "bankruptcy pays", at least for corporate management, as detailed in the story below. Not so for the workers laid off during the wheeling and dealing. The United Steelworkers reports that the Canadian Labour Congress has called for a national boycott of Sklar Peppler and Alan White Furniture in response to the underhanded way that workers at the plant have been treated. Here's the story from the Steelworkers' website. The news is not yet up at the CLC website, but it likely will be shortly.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCLCL
National Boycott of Sklar Peppler, Alan White Furniture

RELEASE, 13 April, 2010 - About 100 Steelworkers lost their jobs when a Canadian plant was closed and production shifted to Mississippi.

In support of 100 Steelworkers who lost their jobs and severance pay, the Canadian Labour Congress is asking its three million members to boycott Sklar Peppler, AW Manufacturing Inc. and Alan White brand furniture products.

After moving to Ajax from Whitby in 2006, furniture manufacturer Sklar Peppler went into bankruptcy in August 2008, affecting about 100 Steelworkers.

“The President of Sklar Peppler bought the company’s assets out of bankruptcy in late 2008 and proceeded to close the facility,” notes Ken Neumann, United Steelworkers National Director for Canada. “He then bought AW Manufacturing Inc., another furniture manufacturer in Mississippi, and now uses product from that plant in Mississippi to sell to Sklar’s customers.

“The hard-working Steelworkers that were employed by Sklar Peppler in Canada not only lost their jobs, they lost their severance pay in the bankruptcy proceedings,” Neumann says.

“The Canadian Labour Congress has endorsed a national consumer boycott against Sklar Peppler, Alan White branded furniture and its manufacturer AW Manufacturing,” says CLC President Ken Georgetti.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

A LIVING PENSION FOR EVERYONE:

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is waging a campaign for the improvement of the Canadian pension system, to guarantee a decent standard of living for all Canadian retirees. Here, from the Canadian Union of Public Employees(CUPE) is a news report on this campaign and the times for the first cross country public training forums that will be held on the issue.

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Retirement security for everyone:
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and its affiliates are waging a campaign on pensions, and CUPE is proud to be part of it on behalf of its active members and retirees.

A series of training sessions for this campaign will be held in several cities this fall and winter. The main thrust of the campaign involves lobbying provincial and federal governments to make bold new changes that will secure pensions for all workers.
The principal demands of the campaign are:
**Double benefits for the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).
**Increase low-income (GIS) pensions by 15%.
**Introduce a national system of pension insurance.

In making these proposals, we are championing the same progressive values that changed our health care system with the advent of Medicare more than forty years ago. We can make a similar choice for pensions today and create a system where no Canadian is left behind.
Forum Locations and Details
Newfoundland and Labrador
**St. John's Holiday Inn, Portugal Cove Road, Tuesday November 3, 2009, 9:00 am. In conjunction with Newfoundland & Labrador Federation of Labour Convention; open to the public.
New Brunswick
**Bathurst, USW Union Hall, Wednesday November 4, 2009, 7:00 pm. (Bilingual event).
**Saint-John, Courtney Bay Inn, Tuesday November 3, 2009, 7:00 pm. (Bilingual event).
British Columbia
**Justice Institute, New Westminster, November 5, 2009, 6:30 pm.

Forums will also be coming up in the next few months in Windsor, Sudbury, Toronto, Ottawa, and St. Catharine's (Ontario), in Brandon and Winnipeg (Manitoba), and in Edmonton and Calgary (Alberta).

To find out more about any of these events, or for questions, get in touch with the Canadian Labour Congress.

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Here is the summary of the Canadian Labour Congress campaign referred to above.

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Retirement Security for Everyone!:
Over the past year, Canada has been hit hard by the deepest economic downturn the world has seen since the 1930s. Hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs have been lost and the retirement savings of countless Canadians put at risk by the financial meltdown and corporate bankruptcies.

Many today, even those with jobs are wondering if and when they can ever retire. They have good reason for concern.

Recent events have exposed major faults in our pension system. Our public pensions – Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) plus the Canada Pension Plan - provide a secure income in retirement. But even the maximum value of those pensions falls far short of what people need to maintain a decent standard of living after retirement.
The private portion of our pension system is in deep trouble
About one in five private sector workers belong to a private pension plan. Very few non-unionized workers, with the noted exception of managers and professionals, are covered by plans. Many of the plans which do exist are on shaky financial ground because of low interest rates and the recent collapse of stock markets. Some workers have discovered that when their plans get into financial trouble, there is little help available.
RRSPs have failed to deliver
RRSPs are often billed as the solution to our pension woes. They are supposed to fill the gap left for those not covered by private pension plans – but RRSPs have failed us. The average worker approaching retirement today has saved only enough to buy a monthly pension of about $250 per month.

RRSPs have not worked because many Canadians cannot save enough to overcome the built-in hurdles of high administrative fees (which in Canada are among the highest in the world) and highly variable and uncertain financial returns.
It's time for change
Decision-makers can hear the growing calls for pension reform in Canada, despite the strong and loud opposition from vested interests in the financial industry. Employers who sponsor pension plans also recognize that supporting decent pensions through public rather than private arrangements would lower their costs and help level the competitive playing field between them and businesses who have offered no pension plans for their workers.

People should not be left to fend for themselves in retirement. It's time for a change in emphasis toward public pensions and toward greater security for people who belong to existing employer plans.

That's why the Canadian Labour Congress is proposing three key reforms that would benefit all workers, improve retirement income security, and gear Canada's pension system to better fit the needs of a changing economy.
The CLC Plan: Retirement Security for Everyone
Double benefits for the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). We propose to phase-in a doubling of the proportion of average earnings replaced by CPP from 25% to 50% over seven to ten years, to $1,635 per month. This would be financed by a modest increase in worker and employer premiums (3% spread over several years).
The benefits of investing in a stronger Canada Pension Plan are clear:
**The CPP already covers 93% of working Canadians and offers an accurate sense of the income they can expect in retirement.
**The CPP is highly risk tolerant because of its size and it has the lowest administration fees of any pension plan in the country.
**The CPP is highly portable – no matter how many times they change jobs, workers will still be covered. Why shouldn’t we build on this successful model?

Increase low-income (GIS) pensions by 15%. This would give low-income seniors up to an additional $110 per month, enough to move virtually all seniors above the poverty line.

Introduce a national system of pension insurance. An insurance floor should be set for defined pension plan benefits through a system funded by contributions from pension plan sponsors. This would be a federal initiative covering federally-regulated pensions but Ottawa should enter into negotiations with the provinces to create a national system.
The Choice: “Move Forward Together” or “Fend For Yourself”
In making these proposals, we are championing the same progressive values which changed our health care system with the advent of Medicare more than forty years ago. We can make a similar choice for pensions today and create a system where no Canadian is left behind.

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All of this is well and good, but Molly suggests that it is hardly enough. One failing is that neither the private insurance plans nor the CPP allow for any input on the part of workers contributing to said plans nor of the retirees who are collecting the benefits. In other words workers and retirees are obliged to take both the good intentions and the competence of the managers, both private and public, on blind faith. The Congress of Union Retirees, representing numerous Canadian pensioners, have proposed "legislation to require participation of retirees in the governance of their pensions". Personally I think that there should be such democratic safeguards for both the private pensions and the CPP. The fate of many pensions plans in recent years and the continued alarms over the viability of public plans in many countries says that such important instruments of financial security should not be left to the supposed competence of the supposed experts.

There is also another option to both private and state administered plans such as the CPP. The viability of cooperative plans is hardly ever considered. This option is actually rarely even mentioned. The institutions to administer such plans, the network of credit unions that cover Canada is already at hand. Molly would suggest several aspects of such an alternative system, one that could be just as stable as the CPP. One is that participation would be voluntary, and that not just individuals (as with RRSPs now) but also workers covered by company pension plans that they may doubt the stability of could opt to have their pension contributions (and matching ones from their employers) deposited in such coop plans. I would also suggest that such plans be a joint effort of several credit unions, rather than individual institutions. This would help to assure stability, as would a fund guarantee for deposits in these plans. The question of stability would, of course, be paramount, and the investments that such funds could undertake would have to be restricted- unlike the situation in many RRSP plans today. To offset the possible spread between stability and return and make these plans more attractive I would also suggest that there be a tax credit attached to deposits in such funds. This would be similar to that already offered by many labour sponsored funds today. The coop funds would be similar to the labour sponsored funds in that they would be restricted to domestic investment, but they would be further restricted from providing "venture capital" ie less secure investment.

The advantages of such coop pension plans would be many. They could provide stability that would perhaps be equal to that of the CPP and certainly greater than most RRSP funds provide. It might even be attractive for people to eventually transfer their accounts from the CPP to such coop plans. Like the labour sponsored funds they would assure a supply of capital for Canadian (or provincial) enterprise. If for no other reason this should ensure them a tax credit, even if the percentage would obviously be less than the labour sponsored funds who invest in more risky enterprises. The mechanism of governance is at hand in the cooperative model of the credit unions, and if one wishes a democratic participation of workers and retirees in their pension funds the creation of this would be far more straightforward than with the private plans of, especially, the CPP.

There would be, of course, many difficulties, and the details would require a lot of thought and planning. The benefits, however, are such that this 'third way' should be considered rather than ignored.

CANADIAN LABOUR-OTTAWA:

BOYCOTT THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATION:

The following item came to Molly's attention via the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). For five weeks now employees at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa have been on strike, and their union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), have asked the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) to call for a boycott of both the Museum of Civilization (in Gatineau) and the Canadian War Museum (in Ottawa). Here's the story from CUPE.

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Support striking museum workers:
For the past five weeks, 420 employees of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (CMCC) have been on strike. The Public Service Alliance of Canada workers want to secure a collective agreement that ends the precarious employment practices of the CMCC and affords its employees some job security.

The executive council of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has passed a resolution asking workers who belong to its affiliated unions not to visit the Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa-Gatineau until striking workers have secured a fair collective agreement.

CUPE National President Paul Moist joined other CLC executive council members on Monday to protest the CMCC’s bargaining tactics.

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Here is the declaration from the CLC.

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CLC supports striking museum workers:
Asks union members not to visit Civilization and War Museums
OTTAWA – The Executive Council of the Canadian Labour Congress is asking workers who belong to its affiliated unions not to visit the Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa-Gatineau until striking workers have secured a fair collective agreement.

The CLC’s Executive Council, meeting in Ottawa, passed a resolution saying in part that the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (CMCC) “has blatantly abandoned that responsibility by failing to negotiate a fair collective agreement with its workforce.”

For the past five weeks, 420 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada have been on strike at the museums to secure a collective agreement that would change the museum’s employment practices: 38% of the workforce is employed on a temporary basis, and museum workers are being paid 30% less on average than other federal government museum workers doing the same or similar jobs.

The CLC is also calling upon the government of Canada to force the museum “to negotiate a collective agreement that ends the precarious work practices used by the Corporation.”
Contact: Dennis Gruending, CLC Communications, 613-526-7431 or 613-878-6040 (cell.)

CANADIAN POLITICS/CANADIAN LABOUR:

THE GOVERNMENT AND YOUR PENSION:

Molly has previously posted an appeal from the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada on this subject-plans on the part of the federal Conservatives to change pension legislation-before. Here, however, is yet another appeal, this time from the Canadian Labour Congress(CLC) via the Canadian Union of Public Employees(CUPE).

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Proposed federal pension law changes say 'fend for yourself':
The federal government is proposing changes to laws governing pensions in federally-regulated sectors of the economy. And while we agree the laws need changing, the Harper government is sending them the wrong way.

The government's proposals for 'strengthening' federal laws and regulations on pension do nothing to change the current "fend for yourself" approach to public pensions. Worse, they propose changes to regulations that would transfer risks and costs from investors and corporations to pensioners and workers.

CUPE members have an opportunity to let the federal government know that you reject the "fend for yourself" mentality.

The federal government has been holding consultation sessions in major cities, but is accepting submissions by email until April 17.

Support the CLC's call for:

***An expanded Canada pension Plan to take the pressure off private plans and offer efficient, secure defined pension benefits to nearly all Canadians.

***A federal system of pension insurance-like the Canada Deposit insurance Corporation(which ensures bank deposits), but for pensions.

Please send an email by April 17 to Ted Menzies, the MP leading the consultations to let him know you want pensions to move us all forward.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to Ted Menzies, the MP leading the consultations on the pension "reforms".

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I am writing to express my support for changes to federal pension legislation and regulation that would create an enhanced Canada Pension Plan, protect pensions in the event of company bankruptcy, and set up a system of pension insurance similar to what exists for bank deposits.
The Canadian Labour Congress has put forward these demands in their brief to you, and I support their recommendations.

I am also concerned that the federal government's proposed changes would transfer risk and costs to pensioners and employees.

We need a pension system that provides protects workers pensions and provides a secure and comfortable retirement to all Canadians.

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The actions of the federal government, however pale in the "ferret contest" when compared to the recent actions of the government of Ontario on the matter of pension guarantees. Here's the lowdown on those lowdowns from the pages of the Globe Investor.

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Ontario pension safety net can't catch auto workers: McGuinty:
KAREN HOWLETT, GREG KEENAN
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
TORONTO — The Ontario government is moving to cut the support net for pensioners just as General Motors Corp. and Chrylser LLC teeter on the edge.

Amid fears of a bankruptcy protection filing by one of the major auto makers, the province is moving to limit the amount of money it would have to pay in a pension bailout.

Proposed new rules, contained in the province's 114-page budget bill, would give the finance minister new powers to deal unilaterally with a pension crisis, and grant Ontario's pension support fund money, but would also make it illegal for the fund to run a deficit.

The bill covers pensions in general, and does not target the auto industry specifically, but comes as General Motors and Chrysler seek government bailouts in a bid to remain afloat.

The province's safety net has been in place since 1980, and provides retirees with up to $1,000 a month if a pension plan cannot pay full benefits.

Premier Dalton McGuinty yesterday described the money available as “very, very modest.”

“That comes nowhere near meeting any liabilities – for example, for the auto sector alone, to say nothing of all the other sectors,” Mr. McGuinty said.

He added there is not “an endless supply of money” for pension bailouts.

Mr. McGuinty said his government has some responsibility to help the pensioners of General Motors of Canada Ltd. and Chrysler Canada Inc.

“We have a political and moral responsibility to pensioners,” he told reporters.(Note that these are two very different things-Molly)

But the Pension Benefits Guarantee Fund is now in deficit, leaving it ill-equipped to address any pension shortfall in the province.

“We would never have all the money that would be needed to top it up to meet all the demands for all Ontarians who are experiencing troubles with their pension plans,” Mr. McGuinty said.

An official in provincial Finance Minister Dwight Duncan's office said the changes were necessary because the fund hasn't been properly managed for decades and the financial turmoil has highlighted that. “We want to get it back on track so that it's capable of serving the intended purpose,” the official said.

The omnibus bill accompanying the recent Ontario budget contains a provision to amend existing legislation, giving the finance minister new powers to deal unilaterally with such a crisis. Under existing legislation, the minister needs authorization from the lieutenant-governor to make loans to the fund. But under the proposed changes, the minister could make grants to the fund on his own.

The budget bill also says the legislation will be revised to state that the fund's liabilities cannot exceed its assets.

“I really think it's the GM issue,” said Mitch Frazer, a pension lawyer at Torys LLP. “This is the last remaining too-big-to-fail plan.”

Pension experts estimate GM Canada's total pension shortfall may exceed $6-billion. Chrysler says its plans should be almost fully funded this year.

There are also fears that auto parts makers with large operations in Ontario would collapse if one or both of the auto makers filed for court protection. Some parts companies could fail even if GM and Chrysler succeed in restructuring outside of the courts.

“The government is basically saying ‘If we have a whole series of bankruptcies, we're not going to be there to backstop the fund, let's make that very clear,'” Mr. Frazer said. “All you need is one large bankruptcy and you wipe out all the money in the fund.”

Canadian Auto Workers president Ken Lewenza said the Ontario government is partly responsible for the pension crisis at GM Canada because of 1992 legislation that enabled the company to underfund its own plans.

“GM has paid a very substantial proportion of the premiums that have been collected over the years by the Pension Benefit Guarantee Fund,” he said in a statement. “So for the government to now suggest that retired auto workers would be denied the protection of this fund is unconscionable.”

Retired auto workers worried about their pensions dogged federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty yesterday in Oshawa, Ont., yesterday.

Ontario New Democratic MPP Paul Miller called on the McGuinty government to “step up to the plate” and create a different type of pension protection in the province.

CANADIAN LABOUR:
UNEMPLOYMENT RISING IN CANADA:
Whatever the Pollyanna pronouncements of our federal Conservative government the worldwide recession/depression continues to strike here in Canada. Recent statistics show a massive rise in unemployment last February. Here's the story about job losses from the CEP News.
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Canadian Job Losses Mount, Unemployment Rate Soars to Five-Year High:
(CEP News) - The Canadian economy continued to shed jobs at a fast pace in February, while the unemployment rate rose to its highest rate since mid-2003, Statistics Canada reported.




The economy shed 82,600 jobs and saw its unemployment rate climb 0.5 percentage points to 7.7%, its highest rate in more than five years.




Economists had expected a loss of 55,000 jobs, and a rise in the unemployment rate to 7.4% from 7.2% in January.




January's decline of 129,000 jobs was unrevised. Since October, Canada has lost 295,000 jobs, or 1.7% of the workforce, StatsCan noted.




Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey released Friday showed the decline in employment came as 111k full-time jobs were lost, while part-time employment edged up.




The construction sector saw a decline of 43k jobs, while 31k jobs were lost in professional, scientific and technical services. Another 15,000 were lost in educational services, bringing the total declines since October to 44,000 jobs.




The bulk of job losses were once again in Ontario, which lost 35,000 jobs, primarily in construction and finance, insurance, real estate and leasing, StatsCan said. Alberta saw its employment drop by 24,000 jobs, while 18,000 positions were lost in Quebec.
By Stephen Huebl, mailto:shuebl@economicnews.ca;,
edited by Sarah Sussman, mailto:ssussman@economicnews.ca;
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Beyond the cold hard statistics here's how Canadian labour sees this situation. From the Canadian Labour Congress, via the Canadian Union of Public Employees(CUPE).

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Lost: 83,000 jobs:
They can't have gone far. They were here a month ago. CLC President Ken Georgetti warns the recession will get worse if the government doesn't fix EI.





Today's news is all about new unemployment statistics which show that the unemployment rate has gone up half a per cent in two months.

According to the CLC's analysis of the announcement:

*The unemployment rate is up, now at 7.7% (it was 7.2% in January).
*The unemployment rate is back to where it was in July 2003, more than five years
ago.
*The number of Canadians who lost their job last month: 83,000.
*The number of full-time jobs lost last month: 110,000.
*The number of full-time jobs lost so far this year: 225,000.
*Canadian workers who have lost their jobs since October 2008: 295,000.
*Canada now has over 1.4 million unemployed men and women. This represents an increase of 23% since last October.
*The construction sector was hardest hit in February, as were men aged 25 to 54. Young workers also took a hit last month, pushing their unemployment rate to 14.2%, the highest since 2001.

The Congress is organizing rallies March 21 to protest job loss and government inaction on EI.

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Finally, here's yet another view, this time that of Larry Gambone of the Porkupine Blog. This is a libertarian socialist view of our crisis and it points the way to other solutions to the crisis rather than what has been proposed by our political elites.
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Two Thoughts On Unemployment:
1. Mass unemployment is caused by governmental and corporate policies and actions. It is social in origin and is never the fault of its victims, the now-jobless workers. Yet, that is precisely how the unemployed are treated by the authorities. They are forced to search for work and to engage in job-finding classes if they wish to collect unemployment insurance – for the minority fortunate enough to qualify. People who refuse are punished by having their meager benefits cut off. They did not cause the problem, but, in practice, they get the blame. Examine the logic behind it by this analogy. I assault you, yet the police don't arrest me, they arrest you. What happens to the unemployed in our system is a form of sociopathic inversion, where the perpetrator of a heinous crime blames his victim for what he did. Meanwhile, the guilty parties – the CEO's and politicians – still get their high salaries and perks. Those who caused the problem ought to be the ones to rectify it. They should be the ones finding you a job, and if they can't find one, pay you an income until they do.




Thing is, every unemployed person grumbles about their situation, yet no one seems ready to pin the blame where it ought to go. During our previous big economic crisis in the 1980's, groups organized unemployed workers. But they concentrated on helping the unemployed combat the Unemployment Insurance bureaucracy, certainly a worthy act, but shied away from directly confronting the system. Hopefully the situation will be different this time around.
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2. It has always angered me that whenever an industry closes in a small town the locals are expected to pull up stakes and move elsewhere to find work. How about the work coming to them instead? Now many people will regard this as a ludicrous question, and the fact that they do, shows the great extent to which people are expected to serve the economy rather than the economy serving them. What is an economy really for anyway, but to provide people with necessary goods and services? An economy is a means to fulfill needs, not a end in itself, or rather it ought to be so, if a society is supposed to exist for human beings.




Uprooting masses of people and forcing them to follow the dollar destroys community. It is natural to live among people you know, it is natural to have roots. This is the way we lived for thousands of years, and only under capitalism have we been forced to scurry from place to place like lemmings. Peasants and First Nations peoples would rather die than give up the places where their ancestors lived. In small towns across the "developed" world some of this sentiment still lingers in the sadness of leaving.




The destruction of community brings with it a host of costly social problems not factored into the economic calculations of the MBA and state bureaucrat. And when the migrants flood into the new boom towns, they bring their problems with them, as well as putting stress on housing, public services and infrastructure. All totaled, it probably is not that more expensive to leave people where they are and start new industries to employ them. Of course, we would need a new kind of economy – one based upon need and solidarity rather than the greed and lust for domination of a handful of narcissists and sociopaths.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

ACTION ON THE ECONOMIC CRISIS:

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is planning a rally this coming March 21 down Ontario way, demanding action on the economic crisis. Here's the notice.

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Rally for jobs and EI: Mar 21:
The Canadian Labour Congress is launching its campaign for action on the economic crisis with two rallies, March 21, in Hamilton and Belleville.

The campaign focuses on making changes to the Employment Insurance program that will protect workers during this recession.
Belleville:
DATE:
Saturday, March 21, 2009
TIME:
12:00 p.m. ET
LOCATION:
Constituency Office of MP Daryl Kramp (Conservative)
Hamilton:
DATE:
Saturday, March 21, 2009
TIME:
12:00 p.m. ET
LOCATION:
Hamilton Convention Centre.

CANADIAN POLITICS:

ECONOMIC ADVISE TO HARPER FROM THE WEST:

The nation is waiting, maybe without bated breath but at least waiting, for the new Conservative budget due to come out later this month. The Harper conservatives are in something of a bind. The seriousness of the economic situation, which they once denied for ideological reasons, has dawned even in their rusty craniums. No more of a "turn around by July" or "this is a good time to buy". Doing nothing is no longer an option, but what can they do ? Following the lead of the USA is the easy option. Take every bit of free money thrown at the corporations down south, divide it by 10 and you have "Canadian policy". Yet, simply bailing out corporations may turn out to be politically unacceptable. The governments of both the USA and Canada have to be at least seen to be doing something for ordinary people, whatever the substance of what they are actually doing. The latest polls put the Liberals ahead of the Conservatives in voting intentions. Perhaps not far enough ahead for Sneaky Stevie's Liberal doppelganger Infamous Iggy to actually dare to pull the plug, but it is a sign of caution for SS. No matter what he might feel like doing he has to make at least some sort of theatre of concern for the public rather than his corporate friends.

Molly has previously presented the program that the Canadian Labour Congress would like to see instituted. Here is another alternative economic plan, this time from a collection of 20 western Canadian economists, compiled by the Canada West Foundation. Like the CLC program this set of recommendations emphasizes help for ordinary people over help for the corporations. Once more, I do not necessarily agree with all of the proposals. Things that are conspicuously missing include:

***A job creation strategy based on subsidies, tax breaks and changes in legislation aimed at the expansion of the producers' cooperative sector, a sure fire way to create maximum employment (and purchasing power) for every dollar spent. Employment that is not dependent upon a weak international trade system. This is especially important in the concept of "infrastructure" as many of such projects would be best and most efficiently undertaken by local coops.

***Basing any bailouts for the auto industry (and others) on the provision of equity in the industry, both for the Canadian public and the workers in said industry. In terms of the workers such equity should give them an increased say in how the industry was run. The economic benefits of this are obvious- increased efficiency as the workers actually have a stake in the enterprise. It is my opinion that all future government support to any industry should be premised on such conditions. Should the industry fail despite infusions of government money the way would be open to reestablish it as a producers' cooperative with minimal disruption.

***An emphasis on the domestic economy rather than the international trade system. Enterprises whose customers are local are far less vulnerable to fluctuations in international financial systems.

***An emphasis on the system of credit unions, properly regulated to avoid speculation. Unlike the large banks such institutions are basically local and thus insulated from the vagaries of international finance. Legislation should favour such institutions over the banks, and it should properly restrict their operations to avoid speculation on the part of their managers, a class whose interests are often at variance with that of the members.

***A reinvigoration of the 'Labour Sponsored Funds' via increased tax breaks for same, and an interprovincial agreement to restrict their operations to local industry rather than speculation. A re-examination of the legislation governing same to ensure transparency and prevent influence peddling such as led to the collapse of the Manitoba Crocus Fund.

***A guarantee of assured funding to munipalities, not just provinces. The amendment of provincial legislation, once more by an interprovincial agreement, to assure that such funding was, once again, more transparent and open to democratic control by municipal electors.

***Amendment of labour legislation, hopefully with provincial agreement, to 1)raise minimum wages nationally, 2)make union organization easier and 3)improve workplace safety and health standards. This would provide increased purchasing power as assuredly as a tax cut would and it would actually improve competitiveness as business would be induced to concentrate on actual improvement in production rather than on trying to squeeze labour costs.

One could go on and on about such proposals, and I will probably do so in the future. What is important to note here is that there is an "undiscovered continent" beyond the classical social democratic nostrums for correcting economic crises. It is also important to note that pretty well all of such reforms would not be granted by the goodwill of any government, especially the present Conservative one. What is important, at this point, is to raise the possibility of such reforms. Whether they are implemented or not depends not on the machinations of political parties but on demand from below. Molly hopes she can do her little bit to stimulate such demand.

The following article which led to this overly long "introduction" is from the online news magazine Straight Goods.

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West urges Harper to act quickly:
Twenty-five Western economists send PM budget advice.
by Gillian Steward
If Stephen Harper is inclined to listen to anyone, other than himself, perhaps he should lend an ear to some western economists bursting with suggestions about how his government can best help Canadians weather the recession.

They want him to act quickly and be bold — no more dithering, no patchwork programs and no more fussing about whether to run a deficit.

"The first thing governments should do is stop talking about deficits and change the message to being willing to do 'whatever it takes' to save jobs," wrote William Kerr of the University of Saskatchewan in a report compiled by the Canada West Foundation, a Calgary-based think-tank.

"Getting more funds into the hands of individuals who most need support and will quickly spend the money should take priority over cutting personal or business taxes."

The 25 economists from the four western provinces want Harper to deliver a stimulus package that is national in design rather than targeted to particular regions, sectors or firms. But they also agreed, somewhat reluctantly, that the federal government will likely have to extend a helping hand to the auto sector.

"With the US government poised to introduce a package for the Big Three, Canada may have no choice but to do the same. The emphasis should be on structuring the package to include conditions that require it to be repaid, perhaps in the form of loans and/or loan guarantees," said Ken McKenzie of the University of Calgary.

Marlo Raynolds of the Pembina Institute suggested the government should support the auto sector with public funds only if the sector is willing to accept a fleet-wide fuel efficiency standard of at least 45 miles per gallon by 2020.

There was also a consensus that the feds should quickly inject money into the hands of consumers and businesses by strengthening Employment Insurance and other programs designed to act as a safety net during difficult times. The unemployed, pensioners, students and others more likely to spend than to save should be on the top of the list. Federal support for provincial social programs should also be increased as a short-term measure.

"Getting more funds into the hands of individuals who most need support and will quickly spend the money should take priority over cutting personal or business taxes," said Jonathan Kesselman of Simon Fraser University.

As for infrastructure projects, the group suggested that they be undertaken quickly and be evenly spread across the country. Among those on the top of the list: refurbishment of existing infrastructure, green public transit, transportation projects that facilitate trade such as a new Windsor-Detroit bridge and West Coast port facilities, affordable housing, and mental health and addiction facilities.

Tax cuts didn't get much play in this report mainly because participants couldn't reach a consensus on what kind of cuts would be the most effective. Some favoured temporary or permanent cuts to the GST while others preferred cuts to personal income taxes; others suggested reducing EI premiums for employers.

The economists agreed there wasn't much the federal government could do about the slump in commodity prices, which has hit the West hard. But they suggested an economic stimulus package should include measures to enhance credit financing in the energy sector, particularly for small to mid-sized producers. They would also like to see the reinstatement of the accelerated capital cost allowances for oil sands upgrader projects.

So there you have it, Mr Harper. Never let it be said there isn't a wealth of ideas being sent your way as you and your team craft that January budget.

Gillian Steward is a Calgary writer and journalist, and former managing editor of the Calgary Herald.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

LABOUR'S PLAN FOR THE CANADIAN ECONOMY:

While the federal Conservative government is trying to present an image of having an economic plan to deal with the financial crisis, while being quite coy about the specifics, others have stepped into the breech with their own ideas of what should be done. One of these is the Canadian Labour Congress, and what follows is an article leading into the details of how they think Canada should respond in perilous economic times. Here is their plan, published early this month. Not that I could agree with every detail, but it shows that at least some people are thinking more of the country and its people than of political advantage.

...........................

GET REAL ! IT'S THE ECONOMY-MAKE IT WORK FOR US:
Canadians have been hit hard by the economic crisis. We are losing thousands of jobs and our pensions are taking a beating.

Government must find solutions that help everybody, not just the banks and corporations that got us into this mess. Working people and their unions are going to be part of the solution as Canadians rebuild their lives and communities.

The Canadian Labour Congress has a plan to stimulate the economy and to create and protect jobs, pensions and public services.

Tell your MP that the government must find solutions that help everybody, not just the banks and corporations that got us into this mess. Working people must be a part of the solution.

What you can do:
***LEARN MORE ON THE ISSUE - Infrastructure & procurement; Employment Insurance & training; Manufacturing, mining & forestry jobs; Pension protection; Improving our public services
***CALL YOUR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
***SEND THE PRIME MINISTER A MESSAGE
***CONTACT YOUR UNION LOCAL & LABOUR COUNCIL to find out how you can help with their campaign to make the next federal budget work for us.
LABOUR'S SOLUTIONS
The Canadian Labour Congress has a plan to stimulate the economy and to create and protect jobs, pensions and public services. The federal government must:
***Increase Employment Insurance benefits. Workers have paid billions into EI but benefits have been drastically reduced. The EI fund is running a huge surplus and it should be used to improve access to benefits for unemployed workers.
***Ensure that laid-off workers have access to training and adjustment programs.
***Launch a major public investment program to create good jobs in infrastructure, manufacturing and public services, and link this program to a Made-in-Canada procurement policy. Ensure that government contracts promote a strong public sector, unionization and inclusion of women and workers of colour in good jobs.
***Provide a pension guarantee fund for workers’ pensions. Even the United States has one. Phase in increases to the Canada and Quebec pension plans and immediately raise Old Age Security to protect retirees and reduce reliance on private pensions and RRSPs.
***Invest directly in sector renewal strategies designed to save jobs and promote successful restructuring in hard-hit industries such as auto and forest products. Pursue strategies to support cultural industries, energy efficiency, renewable energy and other promising sectors.
***Maintain equalization and other transfers to provinces and cities for public infrastructure, public services and social programs.

Labour’s Plan to Deal with the Economic Crisis - Full Version

2008-12-15 15:49
The federal government should, in partnership with the provinces and cities, launch a major multi-year public investment program which would create jobs now, promote our environmental goals and build new industries for the future. It should cover roads, sewers and basic municipal infrastructure; health and educational facilities; mass transit; passenger rail; affordable housing; energy conservation through building retrofits; and renewable energy.
Get Real! It's the Economy - make it work for us
The Economic Crisis
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CANADIAN LABOUR/CANADIAN POLITICS:

RALLIES FOR A COALITION GOVERNMENT:

As Molly writes this tonight the likelihood is that Sneaky Stevie will ask the Governor General to prorogue Parliament when he comes a calling on her next morning. She has little opportunity to refuse. With this unprecedented move Harper will have bought the six weeks or so time that he can cobble together an economic policy that at least looks vaguely stimulatory. The smart money is betting on him stealing large chucks of the program of the coalition in waiting, making it very politically hazardous for the opposition parties to pursue their intentions when Parliament sits again in January.

Thus the following series of rallies may be something of a lost cause, but Molly presents the schedule from the website of the Canadian Labour Congress anyways as a public service.

This evening Harper went on national television to present his case, but nothing was said in his brief address about any plans he might have. Mostly it was an exercise in wrapping himself in the flag and giving dire warnings about the Liberal/NDP coalition being dependent on the Bloc. You know, those horrid separatists and what this dependence might mean. Who knows what it might mean. Probably about the same as the dependence of a certain Canadian federal party on said Bloc to prop up its minority governments over the last two years. Yes...the Bloc has indeed propped up a certain minority government in recent history, voting with it in over a dozen confidence motions and close to 150 other matters of legislation.

Yes, our present Conservative government has had the tacit support of the Bloc throughout its time in office. The hypocrisy of Harper is astounding. Ah, but it's even deeper than that. Who exactly founded the Bloc Quebecois ? Guess who ? The main founder of the BQ was the Conservative cabinet minister Lucien Bouchard who split with the Mulroney government in 1990 after the failure of the Meech Lake Accords. Gathering other Quebec Conservatives and some dissident Liberals around him he was the first leader of the BQ. Yup ! That's right ! Those dreaded separatists whom Stevie Stevie has relied upon to keep him in power during his term are actually a creation of the very party that Harper now leads. Love that flag waving.

Anyways, the prospect of a Liberal/NDP coalition would hardly have delivered paradise on Earth. It always was very much a lesser of two evils option in the face of stupendous arrogance and ideological blindness on the part of the Conservatives. The fallout from this affair is likely to be that Sneaky Stevie, somewhat chastened, will appropriate much of the coalition program. Insofar as the Canadian government can do anything about the coming hard times Stevie will do it by lifting the opposition's suggestions. Ah well, here's the schedule anyways.

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Ottawa, ON
Thursday, December 4th
12 p.m.
Parliament Hill
St. John’s, NL
Thursday, December 4th
7 p.m.
St. Theresa’s Hall Mundy Pond Road
Halifax, NS
Thursday, December 4th
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Maritime Hall – Halifax Forum Windsor & Almon Street (enter off Almon Street)
Charlottetown, PEI
Thursday, December 4th
7 p.m.
Murphy’s Community Centre Richmond Street
Moncton, NB
Thursday, December 4th
7 p.m.
Moncton City Hall Front LawnMain Street
Regina, SK
Thursday, December 4th
7 p.m.
Education Auditorium University of Regina(Room for 650)
Edmonton, AB
Thursday, December 4th
6 p.m.
Winston Churchill Square Downtown Edmonton central
Winnipeg, MB
Thursday, December 4th
7 p.m.
Marlborough Hotel 331 Smith Street Ballroom (Room for 600)
Vancouver, BC
Thursday, December 4th
Doors open @ 5 p.m Speakers @ 6 p.m.
Vancouver Trade & Convention Centre Ballroom “A”
London, ON
Thursday, December 4th
4 p.m.
Victoria Park, North East Corner
Yellowknife, NT
Friday, December 5
12 p.m.
Dennis Bevington MP Constituency Office 4908 - 49th Street
Trail, BC
Thursday, December 4th
7 p.m.
Steelworkers Local 480 Hall 910 Portland Street
Nelson, BC
Thursday, December 4th
7 p.m.
Nelson United Church 602 Silica Street
Sudbury, ON
Saturday, December 6th
1 p.m.
Tom Davies Square 200 Brady Street
Thunder Bay, ON
Friday, December 5
1 p.m.
Labour Centre
Toronto, ON
Saturday, December 6th
12 p.m. 1 p.m.
City Hall Nathan Phillips Square
Sudbury, ON
Saturday, December 6th
1 p.m.
Tom Davies Square200 Brady Street
Montreal, QC
Saturday, December 6th
1 p.m.
In front of the Complexe Guy-Favreau 200 René-Lévesque West