Grey Bruce Labour Council on PM’s resignation

To the Editor:

No Canadian federal government has ever put workers at the top of their agenda. Except for Jack Layton’s federal NDP caucus there has never been an official opposition in the parliament of Canada that could lay claim to such a place of honour.

“Except for hovering around the margins of an agenda for workers, the Trudeau Liberals have been no different,” says Labour Council President Kevin Smith.

Smith also added that there was some promise early on when Trudeau’s government suggested that a move to some form of electoral proportional representation was possible. “This would have put an end to the diabolical electoral outcomes where a minority of voters are electing majority governments. Tragically, this was never acted on, yet in his resignation speech Justin Trudeau voiced regret for not taking this battle up. A battle that was fully within his realm of influence to push forward at any time.”

“As it relates to workers and union members the legacy of the last nine years of the Trudeau Liberals can only be called a legacy of missed opportunities,” says Labour Council Vice President for Grey County, Chris Stephen. “Out of the starting blocks, Trudeau was the first PM to ever meet directly with the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). The CLC represents millions of workers across Canada and for such a meeting having taken place, the possibilities seemed full of promise. This promise, tragically, went unfulfilled. For a government that does its best to secure a centrist position the unnecessary intervention in legitimate strike action by workers was unfortunate and from the perspective of organized labour, unforgivable.”

No one should consider any criticism of Justin Trudeau as an excuse or invitation to support the federal Conservatives. Organized Labour recognizes the shortcomings of the Trudeau Liberals and is indeed critical of these failures to fulfill their potential and promise on the worker file. Nevertheless, the Trudeau Liberals, and any version of the federal Liberals, going forward is better than the any version of Poilievre Conservatives.

“The Poilievre Conservatives have demonstrated themselves to either be profoundly anti-worker or to be silent conspirators in what would be an attack on the very foundations of trade unionism in Canada and the Rand Formula,” says Labour Council VP for Bruce County, Dave Trumble. “Poilievre, amongst an extensive list of anti-social policy statements on equity, Indigenous peoples, the environment and an inclination towards ‘Trumpism’ and its deeply repugnant course in the United States, is keen on destroying the Rand formula and implementing “right to work” legislation. Such legislation is designed with one objective, to permanently damage unions and the trade union movement. He knows that unions and organized labour are a staunch guardrail against a federal Conservative government running workers and their representatives into the ground.”

The right wing refers to Justin Trudeau in unflattering terms for his background and education, for his pact with the socially responsible federal NDP and for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dissecting this, it is easy to see the gaping holes in this “whining”. We have over a century and a half of parliamentary governance and there is no glowing report card in existence because, so called, business people and lawyers were elected.

Social democracy and ensuring its survival along with a robust social safety net with workers’ right to unionize and bargain collectively is a much better measure of a government. Trudeau’s Liberals did little harm to these axioms, but also did little to secure them. This is radically different than a Poilievre government which will cater to business, Donald Trump and will actively undertake work to unravel as much of the social democratic underpinning of Canadian society as possible.

How do we go forward? We go forward by looking long and hard at priorities of any would-be government. For working people there is only one choice. The choice at the ballot box must be choosing a government that ensures a vigorous social democracy, well-funded social programs, ensuring that collective bargaining and union organizing are protected and that there is a desire to improve legislation that improves other vital pieces of the Canadian fabric. Amongst many possibilities that need to be at the top of the list are pensions, care for the environment and the complete destruction of populism and xenophobic Christian nationalism.

With Trudeau’s resignation only days old, let us commit to the choices and legislative initiatives that got us to an enviable place. Many such choices were implemented decades ago by Conservative governments that aligned with a version of governance that still put social democracy and reasoned approaches to governance. Today’s Conservatives, federally and provincially, are the home of deeply regressive policy that is not related in any fashion to the Conservatives of fifty years ago and, when compared to the modern day Conservative, would have been called radically left wing.

Do all of us a favour and be a conscientious voter and choose love over hate as Jack Layton compelled us to do. Canadians can do better than the last nine years, but that choice is not the Poilievre Conservatives.

The Grey Bruce Labour Council has been the voice of workers in Grey and Bruce Counties since 1956.

Kevin Smith,
President,
Grey Bruce Labour Council