ALF V1

AFL Unfairs

• Non-unionized Beer Outlets an Privately Owned Wine Boutiques (cause: opening of non-unionized shops)
• Canada Post Franchise Outlets (privatization of Canada Post)
• NORPAC Food Processor Boycott [support for Oregon Farmworkers (PCUN) - this Oregon-based food processor has refused for eight years to negotiate a first contract] - Note: February 18 PCNU signed framwork for agreement. Boycott has been suspended but will not be cancelled until an agreement is reached.
• Sklar Peppler, Alan White Branded Furniture, and its manufacturer, AW Manufacturing (in support of approximately 100 USW members. After moving to Ajax from Whitby, Ontario in 2006, Sklar Peppler went into bankruptcy in August of 2008. The President of Sklar Peppler bought the company's assets out of bankruptcy in late 2008 and proceeded to close the facility. He then bought AW Manufacturing Inc., another furniture manufacturer in Mississippi, USA, and now uses product from that plant to sell to Sklar's customers. The hard-working Steelworkers who were employed by Sklar Peppler in Canada not only lost their jobs, they lost their severance pay in the bankruptcy proceedings.)

Strikes and Lockouts

• UFCW 401 at Forest Lawn Sobey's, September 30, 2011 - November 27, 2011 

  CAW Local 2002 (Air Canada), June 14, 2011 - June 16, 2011 - Canadian Auto Workers Local 2002 at Air Canada file 72-hour strike notice - picket lines set up on Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at Calgary and Edmonton International Airports (national strike) - Air Canada refused to remove major concessionary demands on existing pension plan - June 16, 2011 - deal reached with Air Canada and CAW 2002 after federal government said it would introduce back-to-work legislation - pension issue to arbitration.

• CUPW, June 2, 2011 - June 27, 2011 (National) - Canadian Union of Postal Workers file 72-hour strike notice - rotating strikes began Thursday, June 2nd, 11:59 p.m. EDT (9:59 p.m. MT) - Rally/dance June 3rd - nationwide lockout June 15, 2011. Ordered back to work on June 27, 2011.

• UFCW 401 (Gate Gourmet) at Edmonton International Airport, April 16, 2011 - July 1, 2011 - main issue remaining was company's demand for three-year wage freeze; the settlement included a wage increase and no concessions.
• UFCW 401 (McKesson Canada) - June 28, 2010 (Edmonton) - strike ended September 1, 2010
• UFCW 1118 (Canada Malting) - August 24, 2010 (Calgary) - The major issue in the dispute is the company's insistence on moving from a defined benefits pension plan to a defined contributions plan - strike ended November 6, 2010

The Alberta government met privately with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers to discuss a joint public relations campaign designed to counter "misinformation" about the controversial shale-gas fracking industry in the province.

Internal government briefing notes, emails and minutes of meetings obtained by CBC show several meetings were held last summer, in response to an invitation from CAPP to produce a collaborative communications campaign.

Officials from the Energy Resources Conservation Board, the arm's length regulator of the oil and gas industry in Alberta, also attended the meetings.

Minutes from a June 9, 2011 meeting reveal the government approved of this collaborative plan.

"(Government of Alberta) agrees communication is a priority including a joint industry/GOA committee to develop similar language and terminology for discussion of shale gas issues and operations.

"The objective is to improve public understanding of shale gas operations and improve public knowledge and confidence. Preparation of a common background information document may be of value (when) targeted at a public audience."

Secret communications plan?

But although they were keen to collaborate, it appears they didn't want the public to know.

"Although a common technical understanding and common background communication documents are of value, it is important for the (government of Alberta) and industry to prepare separate communication initiatives," the minutes state.

"They're talking about producing a communications plan that is in the industry's interest," said Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, which obtained the documents through Freedom of Information.

"The two parties are going to sit down and make a joint communications plan to sell this shale-gas industry and then go to the public and make it look like they didn't cooperate."

McGowan and other critics say these private meetings show both the Alberta government and the ERCB are too close to the oil and gas industry.

"What this suggests to me, at least in this instance, is that the government is functioning as the public relations arm for the energy industry," McGowan said.

Collaborative communications plan have 'backfired'

Chris-Severson Baker of the independent Pembina Institute said the government has a checkered history of collaborating with the oil industry on communications.

"It has really backfired," he said. "It raises more concerns about the issue and it doesn't really result in a meaningful dialogue about how to resolve the issues."

Meeting minutes show representatives from the departments of Environment, Energy and Sustainable Resource Development, and the ERCB, attended the meetings with CAPP officials.

The documents show the government and CAPP were anxious to counter what they commonly viewed as "misinformation."

"Environmental and Non-Governmental Organizations are supporting a ill-informed campaign on hydraulic fracturing and water related issues in British Columbia and in other jurisdictions and this is expected to grow as shale-gas development expands into Alberta and Saskatchewan," the document states.

Industry worried about 'misinformation'

They worried the industry may be "constrained" by "misinformation in the public media and communities facing shale gas development pressure."

Because of this concern, the document suggests they needed "coordinated communications strategies for water use for shale gas development issues."

In one email, senior Alberta Energy official Marina Holmes suggests the ERCB not only be part of the discussions, but should take the lead in the joint-communication initiative.

Minutes from a July 19, 2011 meeting show two ERCB officials, Cal Hill and Bob Willard, attended along with CAPP and government officials.

Darin Barter, an ERCB spokesman, said the ERCB officials were only at the meetings to provide technical advice.

Government story changes

Bart Johnson, spokesman for former energy minister Ron Liepert, told CBC the documents were "meaningless."

The "mid-level" officials at the meetings had no authority to meet with CAPP, he said, and there were no representatives present from the Public Affairs Bureau, which would have the authority.

"Maybe the people around that (meeting) table thought it was appropriate, I don't know, but in the end, government thought it inappropriate to be working with CAPP," Johnson said. "I can tell you that when communications (the Public Affairs Bureau) was made aware of this, it ended."

But in a later on-camera interview, Johnson said there was nothing wrong with the meetings.

He said the government routinely meets with a broad spectrum of stakeholders on all sorts of issues and these meetings were no different.

He said it was CAPP, not the government, which decided to withdraw from the collaborative communications initiative.

Chris Severson-Baker of the Pembina Institute said Premier Alison Redford needs to honour her Conservative leadership campaign promise of more open and transparent government.

"If they want to really address this issue, the way to go about it is to open up a meaningful dialogue about the issues related to fracking," he said.

"Be inclusive and invite all stakeholders to put their issues on the table and actually plug the regulatory gaps that exist and do it in a very transparent manner.

"That is the approach Premier Redford is now promoting within her government, so I am hopeful that is the approach they will take."

CBC News, Tues Nov 29 2011
Byline: Charles Rusnell

Internal government documents obtained by CBC appear to contradict some of the evidence upon which Alberta's lobbyist registrar dismissed allegations of illegal lobbying against the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

In an eight-page ruling released Monday, Registrar Bradly Odsen found CAPP was in "full compliance with the requirements of the Lobbyists Act."

Odsen based that finding, in part, on his understanding that it was the government that asked CAPP to collaborate on a communications campaign related to the controversial practice of fracking.

"Government working collaboratively with stakeholders does not automatically make those stakeholders 'lobbyists' within the meaning of the Act," Odsen wrote.

Under the act, lobbying is distinguished from collaboration by which organization initiates the communications. If an outside group initiates talks with the government that is lobbying. In the case involving CAPP, Odsen found that it was the government that initiated talks with CAPP.

New documents contradict findings

But documents obtained by CBC, and statements made by the government itself to CBC, directly contract Odsen's findings.

Internal government briefing notes, emails and minutes of meetings show several meetings were held last summer, in direct response to an invitation from CAPP to produce a collaborative communications campaign.

Officials from the Energy Resources Conservation Board, the arm's length regulator of the oil and gas industry in Alberta, also attended the meetings.

"As you recall, CAPP contacted Alberta Environment to request a meeting with Environment, the Energy Resources Conservation Board, Sustainable Resources Development and the Department of Energy to discuss CAPP's desire to strike a committee to develop public communications strategy focused on fracturing and water use associated with shale gas development," Doug Bowes, Alberta Energy's Director of Unconventional Gas, wrote in a June 8, 2011 email.

Minutes show CAPP asked to meet with government

Bowes makes reference to an agenda for a scheduled meeting and states: "Based on the focus of CAPP's request, I believe that we have managed to tighten the agenda up again."

The June 9th agenda minutes show the "meeting purpose" was to "provide CAPP with an opportunity to provide their view of unconventional gas in areas of communications needs. Identify industry and regulatory concerns, needs, possible action items and work plans to ensure efficiency and coordination of efforts."

The agenda further states the meeting's purpose was to "consider requirements and outcomes for three areas of concerns previously expressed by CAPP to Alberta Environment and the Energy Resources Conservation Board."

The industry and government were to "each draft a skeleton game plan for the next two years with short, medium and long-term targets and milestones. These will be discussed and meshed at the above meetings."

AFL to file new complaint

The Alberta Federation of Labour filed the lobbying complaint against CAPP based on leaked briefing note dated Aug. 3.

The AFL said the industry lobby group had sought to influence the government's public communications on fracking and shale gas development in the province. And it contended that none of the three CAPP representatives who met with the government were registered as lobbyists.

AFL president Gil McGowan said he subsequently received more documents through Freedom of Information but didn't realize they directly related to their complaint until the AFL provided the documents to CBC.

McGowan said Tuesday the AFL is filing another complaint against CAPP to Odsen and will attach the documents.

"These documents clearly show that it was CAPP that approached the government and that the government actively took direction from CAPP in producing a collaborative communications strategy," McGowan said.

Spokesman confirmed CAPP approached government

In fact, a government spokesman confirmed to CBC that it was CAPP that approached the government.

In an interview with CBC News, Energy spokesman Bart Johnson said "CAPP approached us, there was a meeting of what I would describe as mid-level managers and in the end, nothing came of it. CAPP went their way, and we went our way, and the ERCB went its way."

Johnson said there was no Public Affairs Bureau communications staff at the meetings, and as soon as they found out about the meetings, they put an end to them.

"Maybe the (government) people around that table thought it appropriate, I don't know, but in the end, government thought it inappropriate to be working with CAPP, because that was the decision that was made," Johnson said.

But in a later interview, Johnson changed his story and said the government works with stakeholders on various communications issues all the time. In this case, it was CAPP, not the government, that decided to end the collaborative communications initiative.

A spokesman for the Energy Resources Conservation Board, which is supposed to be an arm's-length regulator of the oil and gas industry, told CBC that its officials were only at the meetings to provide "technical advice."

Contacted Tuesday, Odsen said he was prohibited by the act from commenting.

cbcnews, Tues Nov 29 2011 8:41 p.m.

Alberta's lobbyist registrar has cleared the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers of any wrongdoing after allegations the group tried to influence government public relations strategy. "CAPP is not in breach of the act," Lobbyists Act Registrar Bradley Odsen wrote in an eight-page report tabled Monday in the legislature.

"The totality of the evidence clearly shows that CAPP is in full compliance with the requirements of the Lobbyists Act."

The allegations against CAPP were levelled in August by the Alberta Federation of Labour. In a letter to the registrar, the federation alleged that a leaked note showed the petroleum producers had sought to influence government messaging about fracking and shale gas development. It added that three government departments and Alberta's Energy Resources Conservation Board reviewed the organization's request. It also claimed three lobbyists representing CAPP were not listed in the lobbyist registry under CAPP's filing, though all three were registered lobbyists for their employers, which included Encana, Canadian Natural Resources Limited and Shell Canada Limited.

Odsen ruled that "collaboration to enhance public communication" is not lobbying.

Calgary Herald, Tues Nov 29 2011
Byline: Karen Kleiss

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) yesterday was cleared by Alberta's ethics commissioner of lobbying allegations made by the Alberta Federation of Labour. The decision, which you can read here, stems from a request made by AFL secretary treasurer Nancy Furlong last August. In a letter submitted to the Office of the Ethics Commissioner, she asked that an investigation be launched under the province's Lobbyists Act looking into CAPP's role in shaping the province's shale gas communications strategy.

The allegation is rooted in an internal memo dated Aug. 2, 2011, obtained by the AFL (I've pasted it below). The document, released under the subject heading '"New West Partnership and Project Charter – "Collaboration and Information Sharing, Industry Water Use and Hydraulic Fracture Technology"', is a follow-up to a memorandum of understanding signed Dec. 16, 2010, by the provincial energy ministers for British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, in which they agreed to take "joint action on issues related to unconventional shale gas development."

The AFL took issue with the paragraph below, which it said was a "clear" indication of lobbying.

CAPP has approached the GOA requesting collaboration to enhance public communication on Alberta shale gas development. The DOE along with SRD, AENV and ERCB, are currently reviewing the CAPP request to determine the level of government involvement.

The briefing note lists Richard Dunn, Lara Conrad and Christa Seaman as CAPP participants in the information-sharing project. In its filing with the ethics commissioner, the AFL noted that Dunn is a registered lobbyist for Encana Corp. and Seaman for Shell Canada (her title with the company is Emerging Regulatory Policy Issue Adviser). Seaman is also registered as a lobbyist for Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. Conrad is not registered as a lobbyist in the province.

Neither is she, along with Dunn and Seaman, registered to lobby the province on behalf of CAPP. The AFL said this violates Alberta's Lobbyists Act. The ethics commissioner disagreed, noting that neither Dunn, Seaman nor Conrad are paid by CAPP, even if they do work for member companies. "Government working collaboratively with stakeholders does not automatically make those stakeholders "lobbyists" within the meaning of the [Lobbyists] Act," yesterday's decision says.

One could be forgiven to have missed this bit of news, what with the climate zoo in Durban, South Africa, in full swing. Which is a shame, really, because shale gas, if it is nothing else, is turning out to be a very local concern among those communities most affected by large-scale development. How the governments of B.C. and Alberta, as well as industry associations like CAPP, address public anxiety about the resource matters a great deal. The National Energy Board has noted that both the "pace and level" of shale gas production could be affected if industry participants fail to address local sensitivities.

Whether or not CAPP participants were attempting to influence policy-makers as they craft a shale gas communications strategy is, in a way, besides the point. The effort in question deals almost exclusively with superficial stuff. Big ticket items fall outside the project's mandate. It does not, for instance, include "consideration of bilateral agreements to address or harmonize water use issues in areas of cross-border shale gas plays."

Nor will it include scientific research into water supply inventories or monitoring across the western provinces – a curious provision, given that some diligent work is already under way in B.C.'s Montney formation, which, like other shale gas plays, covers a large contiguous area between northeastern B.C. and northwestern Alberta. A lot is riding on shale, from multibillion-dollar export projects to plans to introduce a greater share of gas into Canada's (and North America's) power generation mix. Advocates of the industry ought to learn from the oil sands and get out in front of the issues people care about before it's too late. That means more than enhanced communications strategies.

EnergyINK, Tues Nov 29 2011

Alberta's lobbyist registrar has cleared the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers of any wrongdoing after allegations the group tried to influence government public relations strategy.

"CAPP is not in breach of the act," Lobbyists Act Registrar Bradley Odsen wrote in an eight-page investigation report tabled Monday in the legislature.

"The totality of the evidence clearly shows that CAPP is in full compliance with the requirements of the Lobbyists Act."

The allegations against CAPP were levelled in August by the Alberta Federation of Labour.

In an Aug. 18 letter to the registrar, the federation alleged that a leaked briefing note dated Aug. 3 showed the petroleum producers had sought to influence government messaging about fracking and shale gas development in the province.

"CAPP has approached the (provincial government) requesting collaboration to enhance public communication on Alberta shale gas development," the briefing note said.

It also added that three government departments and Alberta's Energy Resources Conservation Board reviewed the organization's request.

The federation also claimed three lobbyists representing CAPP were not listed in the lobbyist registry under CAPP's filing, though all three were registered lobbyists for their employers, which included Encana, Canadian Natural Resources Limited and Shell Canada Limited.

In his investigation report, Odsen ruled that "collaboration to enhance public communication" is not lobbying.

"Quite the contrary," Odsen wrote. "If anything, the communication in this case clearly amounts to an 'offer' from CAPP to work collaboratively with the Government of Alberta - in an effort to benefit government.

"Government working collaboratively with stakeholders does not automatically make those stakeholders 'lobbyists' within the meaning of the Act."

Since the "collaborating" does not constitute "lobbying," CAPP is not in breach of the act, Odsen wrote.

He said when government initiates talks with an outside group, any discussion that takes place is not considered lobbying under Alberta's act.

It is only lobbying when the outside group initiates talks.

Odsen's ruling echoes arguments made by CAPP's general counsel in a letter responding to the federation's allegations.

"It is plainly in the interest of Alberta and Albertans to correct ill-informed campaigns that are designed to discredit Alberta Energy and confuse the public so that the economic interests of Albertans are not unjustly injured," Nikol Schultz wrote.

"The (federation's) characterization of the process is highly inaccurate.

"Furthermore, AFL's actions in publicly releasing their letter suggest an agenda that focuses less on serving the public good or the real interests of Alberta workers than it does on attacking governments and industry."

The leaked cabinet documents first made headlines in August because they also suggest the province is worried that environmental groups will undermine public support for shale gas development by spreading misinformation about health and environmental effects of chemical fracking.

"Shale gas environmental concerns in the media are potentially problematic for energy development and environmental management in Alberta," the briefing note says.

"Several initiatives are underway by different groups within government and industry - to address emerging issues and public interest concerns."

The documents were leaked to the NDP one week after federal documents obtained under access to information laws revealed CAPP helped organize the Alberta government's public relations strategy to polish the image of the oilsands.

Energy Department spokesman Bart Johnson said Monday it is not uncommon for government to work with stakeholders in areas of common interest, including public awareness campaigns, as well as communications strategies.

"In this case, government discussed the possibility of a joint public awareness strategy with CAPP, but CAPP decided to pursue its own plan," Johnson said.

Edmonton Journal, Tues Nov 29 2011
Byline: Karen Kleiss

Prairie labour groups defend Canadian Wheat Board

• The The Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba Federations of Labour united to defend the Canadian Wheat Board against attack from the Harper government. In a joint statement, the labour groups said the plan to dismantle the wheat board was illegal and undemocratic. AFL President Gil McGowan said: "The real truth is that the Harper government believes in a free market only when it's good for large corporations. It wants to destroy the ability of farmers to freely and collectively bargain to get the best price for their goods. It's the same ideological attack Harper has made on the rights of workers to collectively bargain to get a fair deal for their work in back-to-work legislation at Canada Post and Air Canada." For more ... and AFL Joint Statement on Canadian Wheat Board

AFL applauds U.S. decision to delay Keystone XL decision

• Albertans should see the Obama administration's decision to delay its decision on the Keystone XL pipeline as an opportunity to get more value out of our bitumen, rather than shipping our raw resources and jobs down the pipeline to the U.S. "It is an opportunity for us to move up the value chain and create a more prosperous and stable economic future for Albertans," says AFL president Gil McGowan. For more ... and news story on Keystone XL decision

Occupy movement a force for positive change in Alberta

• While protesters at Occupy Edmonton and Calgary faced moves to force them from their camps, they earned praise from the AFL for bringing important issues to the fore. "The Occupation sites were vibrant reminders of deeper issues of economic inequality in Alberta. What is truly unsightly is the presence of a government that favours its corporate friends over the interests of all Albertans," said AFL president Gil McGowan. He said their message and voices "will continue to inspire positive change in this province." For November 26th AFL press release; for November 9th AFL press release; and for October 14th AFL press release ...

Want to be safe at work? Join a union!

• A blitz of construction worksites by Occupational Health and Safety inspectors revealed the shocking level of unsafe practices faced by Alberta workers, with nearly 400 orders issued after 600 inspections of 387 employers. While the AFL welcomed a move to add evening and weekend inspections, it said much more must be done to keep workers safe. The best solution is to allow workers to join unions. "The evidence is clear from Alberta and across the country that the presence of unions at construction sites reduces the number of injuries and fatalities," says Gil McGowan, AFL president. Meanwhile, the AFL welcomed the Alberta Court of Appeal's decision to uphold a ruling that that Sinopec Shanghai Engineering Co. can be prosecuted for the deaths of two oilsands workers. "Today's ruling makes it clear that if international companies want to do business here, they have to not only respect our laws, but also be accountable when they violate them," says McGowan. For November 8th AFL press release and for November 23rd AFL press release ...

Urgent Action

• Rally for striking workers at Peri Formwork Systems in Calgary - The workers at Peri Formwork Systems in Calgary have been on strike since July 4, 2011. They are seeking fair compensation and improved working conditions in their first collective agreement. The members of Carpenters Local 2010 members have not received a pay increase in three years. Join the rally in support of these workers.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 3:00 pm until 6:00 pm,

29 Industry Way S.E., Calgary

• Sign the Declaration of Support for Jordan's Principle - Jordan River Anderson of Norway House Cree Nation was ready to go home from hospital when he was two years old but spent over two years unnecessarily in hospital as the federal government and provincial governmentt could not agree on who should pay for his at home care. Jordan passed away at the age of five never having spent a day in a family home while governments continued to argue. Jordan's Principle seeks to ensure no other child becomes a victim of such jurisdictional disputes. Sign the petition here ...

Events

• December 1: World AIDS Day
• December 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities
• December 4: Commemorative Brunch
• December 6-7: AFL Executive Council
• December 6: AFL Open House
• December 6: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women
• December 9: Deadline for registration for AFL 2012 School
• December 18: International Migrants Day
• December 20: Deadline for registration for January 27-29 2012 Equinox Weekend

Did you know ...

If four new upgraders were built in Alberta, we'd gain:

• 52,000 person years of direct construction employment
• 10,960 person years of engineering work
• 4,000 permanent operations jobs
• An additional 12,000 supply, service and maintenance jobs
• $400 million per year in provincial corporate taxes (based on Alberta estimates)
• $780 million per year in federal corporate income taxes

(Source: Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association, "Refine it where we mine it – Job creation,")

For more information ...

Help push back B.C.'s antidemocratic legislation. Fight Bill 18!

Vancouver (28 Nov. 2011) - The B.C. Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) is mounting a fight against the provincial Liberal government' attempt to block union activists from seeking leadership positions within college, institute and university Board of Governors.

Bill 18 - the Advanced Education Statutes Amendment Act - which has been introduced to the B.C. legislature with no consultation or notification, contains anti-democratic changes to the College and Institute Act that would:

•Ban union activists involved in collective bargaining or dispute resolution activities from being elected as staff representatives on college, institute and university Boards of Governors;

•Prohibit elected board members from serving as board chair; and

•Give government-appointed board members unprecedented powers to remove elected staff members from the board with a 2/3 majority vote.

The proposed amendments are not only undemocratic, but likely contravene union members' constitutional rights to freedom of association.

Conflict of interest legislation already provides clear guidelines of conduct for members of public bodies. Union activists are no more potentially in conflict than regular unionized employees, who are both equally affected by Board decisions.

You can help convince the B.C. government to drop this ill-conceived legislation. Send an e-mail here to Naomi Yamamoto, the Minister of Advanced Education, and NDP Opposition critic Michelle Mungall, telling the government to pull this legislation.

More information:

Download PDF file of SAMPLE EMAIL TEXT for College/Institute staff, College/Institute union activists, and general BCGEU/NUPGE members.

Send a copy to your own MLA (link to BC Legislature contact page)

Download a PDF copy of Bill 18 (College & Institute Act changes start on Page 8)

Access online copy of current College & Institutes Act

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE

nupge.ca, Tues Nov 29 2011

EDMONTON –The leading labour groups from the Prairie provinces today united in calling on the Harper government to abandon its illegal and undemocratic plan to dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB).

“Bill C-18, which will be voted on in the House of Commons today, is not about market freedom, despite what the Harper government claims. It is an early Christmas gift to the Conservatives’ corporate friends – at the expense of Canadian communities, families and working people,” says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) which represents 145,000 workers.

The AFL, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour and the Manitoba Federation of Labour today issued a joint statement condemning the plan to dismantle the wheat board.

“The plan is illegal, because the government has refused to hold a vote among farmers on the issue. It is undemocratic, because it ignores the wheat board’s own vote, in which a majority voted to keep the board,” says McGowan.

“It is extremely disappointing to see the Agriculture Ministers from Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. today backing this deeply flawed plan. They are acting against the interests of the fragile rural communities they claim to represent,” he says.

The joint statement from the labour federations says: “For more than 75 years, the CWB has worked successfully to help farmers negotiate on an equal footing with the buyers of their products, mainly large multi-national or U.S. corporations. It has also helped small Prairie farmers compete with larger corporate farming operations.”

It adds: “Clearly, the CWB is working for the majority of farmers. The Tory government has not put forward a business case for its decision and it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to wrap up CWB operations. Prairie farmers and rural communities will lose out. Only large corporations and foreign corporate buyers will benefit.”

Says McGowan: “The real truth is that the Harper government believes in a free market only when it’s good for large corporations. It wants to destroy the ability of farmers to freely and collectively bargain to get the best price for their goods. It’s the same ideological attack Harper has made on the rights of workers to collectively bargain to get a fair deal for their work in back-to-work legislation at Canada Post and Air Canada.”

The AFL president also issued a warning: “The Harper government won’t rest here. The dairy and poultry industries are next on the list of targets.”

-30-

MEDIA CONTACT:

Western Agriculture Ministers acting against the interests of rural communities, says AFL

EDMONTON, Nov. 28, 2011 /CNW/ - The leading labour groups from the Prairie provinces today united in calling on the Harper government to abandon its illegal and undemocratic plan to dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB).

"Bill C-18, which will be voted on in the House of Commons today, is not about market freedom, despite what the Harper government claims. It is an early Christmas gift to the Conservatives' corporate friends - at the expense of Canadian communities, families and working people," says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) which represents 145,000 workers.

The AFL, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour and the Manitoba Federation of Labour today issued a joint statement condemning the plan to dismantle the wheat board.

"The plan is illegal, because the government has refused to hold a vote among farmers on the issue. It is undemocratic, because it ignores the wheat board's own vote, in which a majority voted to keep the board," says McGowan.

"It is extremely disappointing to see the Agriculture Ministers from Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. today backing this deeply flawed plan. They are acting against the interests of the fragile rural communities they claim to represent," he says.

The joint statement from the labour federations says: "For more than 75 years, the CWB has worked successfully to help farmers negotiate on an equal footing with the buyers of their products, mainly large multi-national or U.S. corporations. It has also helped small Prairie farmers compete with larger corporate farming operations."

It adds: "Clearly, the CWB is working for the majority of farmers. The Tory government has not put forward a business case for its decision and it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to wrap up CWB operations. Prairie farmers and rural communities will lose out. Only large corporations and foreign corporate buyers will benefit."

Says McGowan: "The real truth is that the Harper government believes in a free market only when it's good for large corporations. It wants to destroy the ability of farmers to freely and collectively bargain to get the best price for their goods. It's the same ideological attack Harper has made on the rights of workers to collectively bargain to get a fair deal for their work in back-to-work legislation at Canada Post and Air Canada."

The AFL president also issued a warning: "The Harper government won't rest here. The dairy and poultry industries are next on the list of targets."

Statement on Canadian Wheat Board
From the Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba Federations of Labour

The Harper government's decision to dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) is illegal and undemocratic. Once again, the Conservative government is putting the interests of its corporate friends ahead of the interests of Canadian communities, families and working people.

Illegal: The law requires the government to consult with farmers on any changes to the CWB, but the government has refused to hold a vote among farmers.

Undemocratic: Farmers held their own vote on the future of the CWB and a majority voted to keep the board. The Harper government is ignoring this vote. Farmers elect directors of the CWB - eight out of 10 elected board members are strong proponents of the board. The Harper government is ignoring this. While Harper claims his majority in the House of Commons gives him a mandate, 60 per cent of voters in the last federal election backed parties that support the CWB.

The real story: The Tory government claims it believes in the free market, but wants to undermine the ability of farmers to get together to freely and collectively bargain for the best price for their goods. To Harper, market freedom extends only to corporations. Any attempt by farmers or workers to act collectively to get a fair deal for their work is under attack. We have seen this in back-to-work legislation for members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and for workers at Air Canada. We are seeing it again now with the CWB. Next on the list of targets will be the dairy and poultry industries. Ed Fast, the Minister of International Trade, has admitted that the supply-management systems in these sectors will be on the table in free-trade talks with the Asia-Pacific trade group.

For more than 75 years, the CWB has worked successfully to help farmers negotiate on an equal footing with the buyers of their products, mainly large multi-national or U.S. corporations. It has also helped small Prairie farmers compete with larger corporate farming operations.

The CWB has annual revenues of $5 billion to $8 billion, all of which goes to farmers, less operating costs, as profit. It receives no public subsidies. Studies show that farmers earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year more when going through CWB than they would in an open market. That money is vital to the survival of the small, family farms that are the backbone of Canadian agriculture - and to the rural Prairie communities where they operate.

Clearly, the CWB is working for the majority of farmers. The Tory government has not put forward a business case for its decision and it will costs hundreds of millions of dollars to wrap up CWB operations. Prairie farmers and rural communities will lose out. Only large corporate farmers and foreign corporate buyers will benefit.

That is why the Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba Federations of Labour wholeheartedly support the campaign to save the Canadian Wheat Board and ask our members to join that fight by signing the petition at www.StopTheSteamroller.ca.

Digital Journal, Mon Nov 28 2011