Tag Archives: jobs

Reverse public spending cuts, introduce progressive measures to boost jobs and growth: CUPE

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Government spending cuts have increased unemployment, are slowing economic growth, and are diminishing services and standards for Canadians.

In its pre-federal budget submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, CUPE is expressing deep concerns over the harm these imposed austerity measures are having on Canadians, and the need to strengthen social programs, like the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Employment Insurance (EI).

Canada’s economic growth has been much slower than it was in previous recoveries. Federal spending reductions will slow the economy by an average of one percentage point (or close to $20 billion) a year and reduce employment levels by over 100,000, as estimated by the Parliamentary Budget Office last year.

CUPE is recommending an expansion of public services that could generate hundreds of thousands of additional jobs, boost wages, living standards and economic growth. The vast majority of individual Canadians and businesses would benefit from federal government measures focused on improving public services, boosting the economy, generating jobs and reducing inequality.

CUPE also recommends expanding the Canada Pension Plan by phasing in modest contribution increases over seven years that would in time double benefit levels. Improving CPP would benefit all workers, help stabilize existing workplace pension plans, increase economic security and stability for communities, reduce poverty and reduce pressure on social assistance programs.

When CPP contribution rates were last increased, unemployment fell significantly. The increase in contribution rates that we envision is considerably less this time. Polling shows that 75 per cent of Canadians support an expanded CPP, as do many pension experts and the majority of provinces.

CUPE is also advocating for the immediate reversal of cuts to Employment Insurance made in Bill C-38 that reduce eligibility for benefits, force claimants to take unsuitable and lower paid jobs and eliminated the EI Board of Referees.

Introducing different classes of claimants and changing access to EI benefits particularly hurts seasonal workers and those in precarious employment most, including women, youth, low income and other marginalized workers in communities across Canada. Changes to the appeals process has reduced fairness for claimants unjustly rejected. All workers are negatively affected as such changes drive down wages.

Pre-budget submissions are being accepted until August 5, 2013.

Read CUPE’s pre-federal budget submission
(357 kB)

PREMIERS PARTY AND CARRY TOOTHPICK ; DOWNPLAY SERIOUS ISSUES AT NIAGRA-ON-THE-LAKE….Just Saying….

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July 28, 2013

Just-saying

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff

Me, myself and I had a really good time debating the point and consequence of the Council of the Federation summer meeting from July 24-26, 2013 at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

They agreed to have Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island host the 2014 Council of the Federation summer meeting.

So what else did they do?

  • The Premiers announced they are committed to a fair and inclusive society, taking positions on support for persons with disabilities, mental health, affordable and social housing, retirement income, bullying and cyber-bullying.

What the Premiers did not admit was while they had no problem talking about committing to a fair and inclusive society, the Premiers as a federation, as they did prior to the 2013 summer meeting, have done little to improve the lives of people with disabilities, mental health issues; little to improve affordable and social housing, retirement income.

Further, bullying and cyber-bullying will I believe continue to a persuasive issue, with little serious impact on the curtailing of the problem.

The Premiers did not provide any public outrage behind the Harper Conservative governments lack of positive leadership on the subject of a fair and inclusive society and how the federal governments legislation, platform and one-percent policies have contributed to the continued erosion of a fair and inclusive society in Canada.

  • The Council of the Federation announced that Canadians will realize real savings in healthcare through collaboration.  Included in this is lowering the cost of pharmaceutical drugs. Don’t get too excited.

Unlike Canada other countries in the world establish fixed price limits that they will pay for prescription drugs. What this means, though, is that pharmaceutical companies raise their prices for prescription drugs sold in the U.S. and Canada to make up for charging lower prices throughout the rest of the world.

Savings on a couple dozen pharmaceutical drugs for Canadians is nothing but an embarrassment to an ever aging and longer living Canadian population, that built a country that the Premiers and the Prime Minister as the Pied Pipers of “the one-percent” are mortgaging and selling out.

  • The Premiers also talked about disaster mitigation, emergency preparedness and response, and rail safety. For years, the Premiers and the Prime Ministers of the governing party in power, have ignored environmental concerns; the aging infrastructure of cities, and all communities in Canada, allowing “the one-percent” to imperialise Canadian resources and products at any cost.

It didn’t matter whether the cost was our environment, the health and safety of our rail, roads, waterways; the resources had to be tapped, extracted, delivered by any means. Damned be the environment; health and safety of Canadians, or future generations of Canadians.

Once again, the Harper government provides little real leadership. He takes his position and does as he is told by “the one-percent”.

  • Premiers discussed their shared commitments to fiscal responsibility and to protecting and sustaining essential public services, including health care, education and social services. They also stressed the importance of modernizing federal, provincial and territorial financial arrangements to ensure that they reflect current realities and support economic development.

Once again….it’s all talk. Stephen Harper has made it clear, as the BC Liberal Christy Clark government has with the public sector: there will be no new money. You get what you get from the federal government. Trim down and reinvest the realized savings into your programs and services.Sound familiar Christy?

It is clear, that there will be no province in the country that will escape the continued austerity measures of the Stephen Harper led federal government. To think things will change is unrealistic when the Pied Pipers of “the one-percent” call the shots, making it possible for his unchecked arrogance and continued corruption of power.

  • Jobs and the economy are key priorities for Canada’s Premiers.

Shouldn’t they be?  Why should that be a KEY priority. It should go without saying, that provincial economies and jobs are the main task of the Premiers as stewards of their provinces. Without sufficient jobs and business opportunities for the citizens in their particular provinces, their reign being the supreme leader of “the one-percent” in their province is precarious at best.

The trick of these Premiers is simple to say, harder to do. That is, to paraphrase a quote from the Bible: Render to unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s (Caesar in this case being “the one-percent”) and unto the citizens of the province those things that will allow the people to be sustained and prosper, so the government of the day will stay in power and Caesar will stay satisfied.

Of course, it will not work as well, because Harper wields a big stick and keeps his sheep in line. That is evident clearly with the Canada Job Grant. The Premiers were clear they do not like it. Harper could care less. He has made that clear.

In conclusion, it is clear that Harper has succeeded in muzzling the Premiers of this country, and has each one in his back pocket. He is the master conductor of the Pied Pipers of “the one-percent”.

Once again again, the 99 per-cent of Canadians lose.

Take care…..keep smiling…may the force be with you….work safe…drive safe….be good to each other….live long and prosper…..just saying…..

Signed,

Me

COPYRIGHT ANDREW PHILLIP CHERNOFF 2013

Canada’s Top Labour Leaders Call on Premiers to Oppose Harper’s Low-wage Agenda

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NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – July 25, 2013) – At a meeting with Canada’s premiers, labour leaders from across the country called for unity among the provinces in rejecting Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s low-wage agenda. While the premiers gather for their Council of the Federation meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake this week, the presidents of Canada’s provincial and territorial federations of labour are hosting parallel meetings where jobs, pensions and healthcare are the big-ticket items.

The labour federation presidents called on the premiers to put pressure on the federal government to double the Canada Pension Plan and renew the 2004 Health Accord, but the main focus of their talks was on jobs, training, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, Employment Insurance and Canada’s labour market.

“The Harper government is driving down wages and working conditions for all Canadians,” said Lana Payne, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour. “The latest changes to Employment Insurance be terrible for the labour market and damaging for the economy as well. They will hurt industries and employers in some regions of the country but they will hit the most vulnerable workers hardest, with fewer and fewer unemployed workers being eligible for benefits.”

The federation of labour presidents encouraged all the premiers to call on the federal government to scrap the Employment Insurance changes.

Today 1.4 million Canadians are unemployed while the country faces many labour market challenges, including the rise of precarious work, the exploitation of migrant workers, cuts to Employment Insurance and reduced investment in job training programs for vulnerable workers – all of which highlight the need for a renewed focus on creating jobs for Canadians.

“The provinces must reject this low-wage agenda,” said Sid Ryan, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour. “The premiers have an opportunity to use their leadership to engage in substantive dialogue and take action to make sure that Canadians have good jobs. One way they can do this is by establishing Labour Market Partners Forums in every province to provide vision, collaboration and leadership on job creation.”

Already established in Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador, a Labour Market Partners Forum is a tripartite body that would facilitate collaboration and dialogue between government, labour and employers, particularly on employment strategies. This coming together of stakeholders would help to develop economic strategies that would allow the provinces and territories to compete in a global economy on the basis of high productivity and quality rather than low wages.

There is no shortage of labour market issues to be discussed in this kind of tripartite forum, including job training programs, support for unemployed persons, regular increases to the minimum wage and protections for migrant workers.

“The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is being used to fundamentally transform our country’s labour market in ways that are detrimental to the interests of ordinary Canadians,” said Gil McGowan, President of the Alberta Federation of Labour. “Provincial governments should follow Manitoba and Saskatchewan in implementing legislation that protects migrant workers from abuse and exploitation. The provinces should join the growing chorus of critics calling on the federal government to scrap the low-skill stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. These workers are being used as pawns to drive down wages and displace Canadians, while also allowing employers to shirk their responsibility to train Canadians. The Premiers need to stand up to the Harper government on this important issue.”

Together, Canada’s provincial and territorial labour federations give voice to over three million workers, represented by the Alberta Federation of Labour, British Columbia Federation of Labour, Canadian Labour Congress, Manitoba Federation of Labour, New Brunswick Federation of Labour, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, Northern Territories Federation of Labour, Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, Ontario Federation of Labour, Prince Edward Island Federation of Labour, Fédération des travailleurs et travailleises du Québec, Saskatchewan Federation of Labour and Yukon Federation of Labour.