ALF V1

The return of a Tory minority government to Ottawa does not mean much of anything new for construction, say some industry officials.

"Things have not changed that much," said Michael Atkinson, president of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA).

"From a lobbying perspective, in a minority government, you do have to focus more on the opposition parties and committees are more important too."

The Conservatives are returning to the House of Commons with 143 MPs, but needed 155 seats to form a majority. The Liberals lost several seats while the NDP increased their seat count.

"They may have rearranged the deck chairs a little bit, but it is essentially more of the same," said Jeff Morrison, president and COO of the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC).

Another Conservative minority is good news for some in the construction industry.

"We are quite excited about what the Conservatives announced during the campaign for completion incentives for apprentices to become journeymen," said Stephen Kushner, president of Merit Contractors Association Alberta.

"We think they were good providing support for apprentices and tool purchases in the last two years."

The Conservatives promised a $2,000 completion bonus for apprentices, who finish an apprenticeship program in a nationally recognized trade.

"From a western Canadian perspective there were concerns about the carbon tax and the oil patch as far as what impact it would have on jobs," he said.

"Today, we are not dealing with so much uncertainty."

However, the return of a Conservative government isn't music to the ears of everyone.

"Parties at the federal level will have to find a way to co-operate to keep the conservatives out," said Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour.

"There is no way the Conservatives should be in power with only 30 per cent of the popular vote. It's perverse that the prime minister has been rejected by two-thirds of the voters." The Conservatives received 37.6 per cent of the popular vote, with the Liberals getting 26.2 per cent and the NDP 18.2 per cent.

A labour leader from B.C. agreed with McGowan that this election will fundamentally change voting patterns in Canada.

"In the absence of a proportional representation system, trading and strategic voting will become more important moving forward," said Wayne Peppard, executive director of the BC Yukon Territory Building Construction Trade Council.

He said that infrastructure funding remains a priority.

"Major infrastructure projects got the economy off the ground in B.C., so the crucial concern for the construction industry is will funds be available for plans going forward," he said.

Journal of Commerce, Mon Oct 20 2008
Byline: Vince Versace

It was a tale of two parties last weekend as supporters of both the Alberta Progressive Conservatives and Liberals gathered for their annual general meeting and conventions. As Ed Stelmach and his long-ruling Tories nestled themselves in the seclusion of the pristine Rocky Mountains while holding their convention in the posh Jasper Park Lodge, the less-financially-endowed Alberta Liberals opted for a more modest (and affordable) venue: a hotel on Stony Plain Road in west Edmonton.

The Alberta Liberals were only able to attract about 200 supporters (a notably small gathering for a major political party) from across the province to Edmonton in order to elect a new party executive and discuss the direction of their party over the Oct. 4 weekend. It was quite a contrast to conventions not too long ago where Liberal activists seriously talked about dislodging the 37-year old PC dynasty.

At the same time as the leadership race is moving forward, a larger and arguably more important discussion is happening about the Liberals' future, and it had a prominent spot at the "Turning Point" convention.

The first morning of the convention saw Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan make a plea for cooperation between the Liberals and New Democrats. McGowan's proposal was similar to the one recently voted down by New Democrats at their recent convention. Though McGowan's proposal did not go to a vote, it generated quite a bit of discussion throughout the weekend.

Later that day, Lougheed-era cabinet minister-turned-Liberal supporter David King moderated one of the weekend's more popular discussion sessions, during which he asked delegates to think about and discuss everything from changing the Liberal name to finding new ways of rebuilding constituency and party organizations, to even starting a new party altogether. There was little consensus, however, between the diehard Liberals supporters and more open-minded progressives, so it's too soon to tell whether the Liberal Party will move forward or continue its traditional approach to Alberta politics.

Opinion was also split among the leadership candidates on the future direction of the Alberta Liberals. Candidates Dave Taylor and Mo Elsalhy have positioned themselves as protectors of the Liberal brand, and Taylor has even gone so far as to position himself as the "unapologetic Liberal" of the race. On the opposite side of the discussion is Calgary MLA David Swann, who is unapologetic about admitting the toxicity of the Liberal brand in Alberta. Since the March provincial election, Swann has hosted a series of town hall meetings across Alberta and talked publicly about changing the party name and leading the party in a different direction.

I'm sympathetic to Swann's argument. With their party swimming in debt and receiving a 20-year low in popular support in the last election, Alberta Liberal supporters should not be afraid to embrace the discussions that occurred this past weekend. They should also remember that with the Tories approaching their 40th anniversary in government, Albertans who are serious about changing how this province is governed need to start thinking and acting outside the box. Many Alberta Liberals are proud of having served as a strong opposition in the past, but even with a popular leader like former Edmonton mayor Laurence Decore, they have never succeeded in overcoming the PC political machine. It is easy to rest on your ideological laurels, but it is just as important to remember that it's not impossible for a young, energetic thinker to come out of nowhere and sweep the traditional parties to the sidelines, much like Peter Lougheed did 37 years ago.

See Magazine, Thurs Oct 9 2008
Byline: Dave Cournoyer

Recent election promises by Conservative Leader Stephen Harper focusing on oilsands irritated two labour groups fighting for Canadian job, and energy, security.

Both the national Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) Union and the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) claim Harper continues to ignore Canadian national energy security, and the jobs pouring out of the country.

Prohibiting bitumen exports to countries without equivalent emission reduction targets, and continuing to promote the development of northern pipelines to bring oil and gas to markets in Canada and throughout the world were among election promises for a re-elected Tory leadership.

"Throughout Canada?" questioned Dave Coles, national CEP president. "(Harper) refuses to even enter a debate about having a pipeline from western Canada to (refineries) ... in Sarnia and Montreal."

AFL president Gil McGowan added "if Stephen Harper was really concerned about keeping oilsands jobs in Alberta, then he would have talked about restrictions of unrefined bitumen to the United States. This promise won't do that."

What the promise will do is result in jobs continuing to flow south to the American midwest and Gulf coast along what McGowan has called a "bitumen superhighway."

All Harper's statement does is "enshrine a continental energy system" with U.S, in the role of upgrader and refiner, and Alberta as "low value extractor."

Calling the promise a "shell game," he added Harper seems to be offering something to working people here in Alberta, but when you look deeper, there's really nothing there."

Acknowledging the lack of details, Greg Stringham, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers vice president, said when the new government starts taking its election platform into policy, "that will be when it's critical to get more detail of what they really mean by this."

He noted while Canada already upgrades two-thirds of the oil from Canadian oilsands, significant cost increases are a real concern for upgrader operations.

"You can see that with a number of proposals out there that are struggling with their costs. For us, that's the real focus right now," he explained. Four upgraders are currently operating including Suncor Energy and Syncrude Canada with capacity of upwards of one million barrels a day. There are 13 proposals for upgrader expansions and stand-alones in various stages of construction or regulatory approval.

All tolled, that will give the province some 3.5 million barrels a day of upgrading capacity, however, some plans have been deferred due to costs.

Instead of protecting Canadian jobs and resources, Coles maintained Harper is demanding and encouraging more exports of raw bitumen. "I was in Louisiana (in April) when he talked to the world about improving American energy security. It's classic Orwellian double speak."

The day before Harper made his announcement, BA Energy shelved plans for an upgrader in Fort Saskatchewan, east of Edmonton. On the day of Harper's announcement, EnCana and ConocoPhillips announced an expansion of their join of a coker and refinery at their joint project in Illinois.

"I think this is a real push to expedite the bitumen to the U.S." said Coles, noting there continues to be no pipeline to eastern Canada.

The labour advocate is also questioning the National Energy Board, which approves pipeline applications. He even goes so far to believe there is a case for a mandamus application before the courts because the board isn't living up to its mandate.

"They're just rubber stamping the expansion of this (flow) of resources to the United States without any concern for public interest," he maintains.

A mandamus is a superior court writ ordering, in this case, a public body to perform a specified duty.

"We're beside ourselves. We've tried everything to get Harper to at least consider the public interest," Coles said.

With upgrading and refining continuing its southbound trend coupled with the world economy's downward spiral, Coles predicts that in the medium- to long- term, Alberta will end up the big loser because it won't have the upgrading jobs, but will have the pollution.

With jobs disappearing from Ontario's shrinking manufacturing sector, Coles points out if the refineries and upgraders were built in Ontario and Quebec instead of the U.S., "the Canadian job spin off in eastern Canada, including back to Alberta, are enormous."

McGowan also recognized the strengthening U.S. grip. By saying he will only allow bitumen exports to country with higher standards for greenhouse gas emissions, Harper is essentially saying only the U.S. will be eligible to receive bitumen.

"In a sense he's enshrining the status quo, which is not good enough when that status quo is exporting literally hundreds of thousands of barrels of bitumen to the American midwest and Gulf Coast every day," he said.

Fort McMurray Today, Wed Oct 8 2008
Byline: Carol Christian

Last November, The Alberta Federation of Labour released a report exposing the widespread abuse of foreign workers.

Problems included:

• job promised being radically different or disappearing upon arrival
• lower wages than promised
• demands to perform inappropriate personal services
• racism
• deportation and imprisonment threats

The majority of temporary workers are labourers and nannies. Visas for truck drivers, factory workers, cleaners and food services have risen significantly during the past two years. Yet, over the last few years, the plight of exotic dancers has been a focus in the House of Commons.

appropriate action?

Until December 2004, Canada's exotic dancer visa program fast-tracked foreign women through the immigration process to fill a supposed stripper shortage.

This temporary working visa has since been linked to organized crime and sex trafficking.

Canadian immigration officers responded by dramatically cutting the visas granted to foreign exotic dancers. During the last sitting of Parliament, Bill C-17 (formerly known as Bill C-57) was brought forward to solidify the legal authority of immigration officers to deny working visas to foreign nationals deemed at risk for exploitation and abuse.

Already twice introduced in Parliament, the substance of the bill will likely receive a new life after the October 14 federal election.

Many sex worker and immigrant advocacy groups are not convinced the provisions of Bill C-17 can address exploitation.

"[O]nly a handful of work permits have been issued to exotic dancers in recent years. Parliamentary time would be better used to address the broader problem of the exploitation of non-citizens in Canada," states Janet Dench, executive director of Canadian Council for Refugees.

"Trafficking thrives in conditions where there are, one, barriers to workers' migration, and two, poor working conditions," says Dr. Leslie Ann Jeffrey of the University of New Brunswick. "This bill both increases the barriers and fails to address exploitative work conditions and becomes part of the problem rather than part of the solution."

Canada: a destination country for sex trafficking

• approximately 800 persons are trafficked to Canada each year
• an additional 1,500 to 2,000 are trafficked through Canada to the U.S.
• 80% of trafficked persons are women and girls; up to half are minors
• victims are primarily trafficked from Asia, and Eastern Europe, but also Africa and Latin America

Annie Temple of NakedTruth.ca told the Canadian Press, "If the Conservative government is truly concerned about exploitation of exotic dancers, then they should focus on ensuring health and safety standards exist in strip clubs."

STAR Report: Exotic Dancing in Ontario

The Sex Trade Advocacy and Research (STAR) report, Exotic Dancing in Ontario: Health and Safety, shows exotic dancers are denied the normal protections offered to workers outside of the sex industry.

One explanation is the majority of dancers work freelance, paying club owners for working space. Thus, they are not covered by federal and provincial labour legislation and do not benefit from unionization.

Dancers are frequently penalized through club expulsion, arrest and criminal charges if they take action against assault and harassment. This behaviour is treated as an expected "occupational hazard" explains the report, and is extremely high due to dancers' close proximity to intoxicated clients and the belief they are "sexually available."

The report recommends:

• clarification in legislation and by-laws to include exotic dancers and strip clubs
• improved health and safety standards in strip clubs
• police protection from harassment and assault
• education of police and government officials regarding the treatment of exotic dancers and their work conditions
• education of exotic dancers on their rights and available support services, available in many languages
• Human Resources and Social Development Canada and Immigration Canada must assure foreign dancers are not brought into Canada under false pretences and employers must meet public policy requirements

Section 15.ca, Wed Oct 8 2008
Byline: Jenna Owsianik

EDMONTON - Today's news that Maple Leaf Foods is abusing temporary foreign workers at its poultry plant in Edmonton and attempting to use them as pawns to drive wages down is yet another demonstration of the failures of the temporary foreign worker program.

It's also an indictment of campaigning federal politicians who won't even acknowledge that a problem exists, says the president of the Alberta Federation of Labour.

"The Temporary Foreign Worker program is run by the federal government - but not a single one of the federal leaders has made problems in the program an issue in this campaign," says Gil McGowan.

"Instead, the issue is being driven under ground, just like these workers. It's a dark and ugly corner of federal bureaucracy that deserves to have some light shed on it. I can't think of a better time to do that job than during an election campaign. Unfortunately, people like Prime Minister Stephen Harper don't seem to agree."

Earlier today, the union representing striking workers at the Maple Leaf poultry plant released information showing that many of the 98 temporary foreign workers in the plant were promised wages of $15 - only to receive much less when they actually started working.

The union also said the company was housing as many as 17 temporary workers in individual duplexes and that more TFWs were brought in as a strike was looming in an obvious (and illegal) effort to undermine the bargaining position of the union and the workers it represents.

"This strike highlights the dangers of the temporary foreign worker program," says McGowan. "Workers are brought in by companies like Maple Leaf to work in unacceptable conditions, at low wages, and these workers are frightened that if they complain, they will be deported."

Despite their precarious situation - and the fact that they are obviously being used as pawns to keep wages low - McGowan points out that over 80 of the TFWs at the plant are actively supporting the strike.

McGowan says that if precarious workers such as these can find the courage to stand up and speak up, then surely our federal leaders could do the same.

"We're in the final week of a federal election campaign and we need an open and public debate to address the failures of this program," says McGowan. "The political parties need to take a stand and tell voters how they will prevent the creation of a permanent underclass of guest workers in Alberta and Canada."

In a further effort to pressure the federal parties to start talking about Canada's TFW problems, the AFL has joined with its national counterpart, the Canadian Labour Congress, to recognize October 7 as the World Day for Decent Work (www.wddw.org), which is being marked with activities across the globe.

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EDMONTON -- The Alberta Liberals staged a play Saturday morning at their annual convention. If that sounds like a strange thing to see at a political gathering, it's because the Liberals' informal theme this weekend is how to do things differently, how to break free of 87 years in opposition.

"I set a challenge to the organizers to court controversy. I said everything should be on the table -- the name, working with others. Whatever it takes," Leader Kevin Taft said.

"I think after the last election, more people than ever came to the conclusion that doing the same old thing again and again doesn't make sense. So I wanted to stretch the limits in a way that we haven't before. And this is the time to do it, right after the election."

This time last year, Taft and his party were boasting about being a government in waiting. Now they are 31/2 years away from the next election, facing a leadership contest and an emboldened PC party with a 72-seat majority. They are also hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

But the more than 150 people who attended the convention at the Best Western Inn on the west side were still upbeat, making self-deprecating jokes and talking about new ways of doing business.

One breakout session was called A New Way: brainstorming session including discussion of the name change, new party, new directions. Another was called Democracy Done Differently.

A morning panel featured rancher and writer Les Brost, and Alberta Federation of Labour president, Gil McGowan. McGowan recently positioned himself at the heart of the left-of-centre debate in Alberta by proposing a strategic merger between the Liberals and the NDP.

Brost predicted tough economic times for the province and said people will be more receptive to the party's message when the boom dies down a bit.

McGowan said he told the NDP convention last summer that their brand was damaged in Alberta.

"But your brand is just as damaged, if not more so," he told the Liberals.

McGowan outlined several options for the future, ranging from the status quo to blowing up all the parties and starting a new one.

The theatrical presentation featured a hapless party supporter being fought over by a status-quo Liberal in a red dress named "Catherine the Grit" and a woman in a green shirt and rainbow headband wanting to pull the party to the ideological left.

How far the party lets itself be pulled may rest on who they pick as party leader in December. All three candidates know the party needs to look at how they're doing things, but they vary in how far they are willing to go.

Since last election, Calgary-Mountain View MLA David Swann has been holding wide-ranging forums around the province that have drawn Greens, NDs and Liberals. Of the three, he is most open to the name change and about co-operating with the other parties.

Calgary-Currie MLA Dave Taylor urges a bit more caution: "I think we've got some work to do on ourselves first in terms of organizational skills, in terms of some culture and attitude, in terms of the way we see ourselves."

Mo Elsalhy, the former MLA for Edmonton-McClung, has also expressed skepticism about the need for a party name change.

The three leadership candidates will hold their second debate this morning on the convention's last day.

Edmonton Journal, Sun Oct 5 2008
Byline: Archie McLean

The Alberta Liberals staged a play Saturday morning at their annual convention.

If that sounds like a strange thing to see at a political gathering, it's because the theme of the weekend is how to do things differently, how to break free of 87 years in opposition.

"I set a challenge to the organizers to court controversy. I said everything should be on the table -- the name, working with others. Whatever it takes," Leader Kevin Taft said. "I think after the last election, more people than ever came to the conclusion that doing the same old thing again and again doesn't make sense. So I wanted to stretch the limits in a way that we haven't before. And this is the time to do it, right after the election."

This time last year, Taft and his party were boasting about being a government in waiting. Now they are 31/2 years away from the next election, facing a leadership contest and an emboldened PC party with a 72-seat majority. They are also hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

But the more than 150 people who attended the convention in Edmonton were still upbeat, making self-deprecating jokes and talking about new ways of doing business.

A morning panel featured rancher and writer Les Brost and Alberta Federation of Labour president Gill McGowan. McGowan recently positioned himself at the heart of the left of centre debate in Alberta by proposing a strategic merger between the Liberals and the NDP. It was the first time he had attended a Liberal convention.

Brost predicted tough economic times for the province and said people will be more receptive to the party's message when the boom dies down a bit.

McGowan said he told the NDP convention last summer that their brand was damaged in Alberta.

"But your brand is just as damaged, if not more so," he told the Liberals.

How far the Liberals take some of these ideas may rest on who is elected party leader in December.

Edmonton Journal, Sun Oct 05 2008
Byline: Archie McLean

The stereotype is a young woman forced to work in a brothel, strip club or massage parlour.

Reality cuts across all walks of life.

Nannies. Construction workers. Seasonal farmers.

"Nobody knows the language of human trafficking," says Sherilyn Trompetter, assistant executive director of Changing Together, an Edmonton-based NGO that leads the Alberta Coalition Against Human Trafficking.

Many exploited foreign workers are treated simply as employees in poor working conditions, not as human trafficking victims, Trompetter says, pointing to the case of 30 Polish welders who arrived in Alberta in 2005 and 2006 under false pretences and were paid less than half their expected wages.

"Human trafficking in general in Canada needs to be redefined and it needs to be stated that we've already seen these patterns; these patterns have always existed," she says. "We're just not calling it what it is."

In a four-part series running across the country this week, Sun Media looks at Canada's hidden trade in people; at the failure of this country to live up to its international obligations on human trafficking, to prosecute human traffickers and meaningfully help victims.

Human trafficking is defined under Canadian law as "the recruitment, transportation or harbouring of persons for the purpose of exploitation," the RCMP writes on its website.

Trafficking can be a family member offering up a child to work in Canada as a domestic servant.

It can be a live-in caregiver who is brought into the country and told she will be paid with a roof over her head, not understanding she is also entitled to a wage.

And sometimes, the exploitation is based on false promises, unfulfilled visas and what seem to be a lack of options: A group of trades people who arrive in Canada only to be shuffled to another employer and paid a fraction of what was agreed upon.

"It's often degrees of exploitation," Canadian Council for Refugees executive director Janet Dench says in Montreal. "The more vulnerable people are, the more easy it is to exploit them."

The Alberta Federation of Labour moved to address the living and working conditions of temporary foreign workers in 2006 when, for the first time ever, Alberta had more of these workers in the booming province than permanent immigrants.

At the time, there were nearly 22,400 temporary foreign workers in Alberta -- doubled from 2003 and tripled from 1997.

The following year, AFL launched the Temporary Foreign Worker Advocate with Edmonton lawyer Yessy Byl at the helm.

By the time of her six-month report, Byl had heard from more than 1,400 people and opened case files for 123 temporary foreign workers "in need of assistance."

"An analysis of the 123 files handled by the Advocate reveals a troubling picture of how Alberta is treating this group of workers," the report said.

"Quite frankly, we are exploiting their vulnerability and taking advantage of their precarious position." The problems can start in a victim's home country, where employment agencies have been known to charge anywhere from $1,000 to $15,000 to process Canadian job applications, says Anette Sikka, who spent several years trying to combat human trafficking in Kosovo before returning to Canada where she is researching human trafficking at the University of Ottawa.

In some cases, agencies are charging workers for skills and language training in their home country and then charging a "settlement" fee upon arrival in Canada -- calling it such gets them around provincial provisions that make it illegal to charge for finding employment, Sikka says.

DEBT TO PAY

Like many trafficking victims who are smuggled into this country, these victims are, too, told they have a debt to pay off. We found you a job, now you owe us some money.

And there is nobody telling them otherwise.

"There's nobody to check up on them," Sikka says.

With no official agreement obligating the federal government to tell the provinces who, when and how many people are arriving as temporary foreign workers or live-in caregivers, employment standards branches across the country, no matter how good their intentions, don't have the necessary information to check up on workers, Sikka says.

"There's no mandatory orientation done," she says. "It's absolutely, 100% necessary. I think it's the primary thing we can do to stop the types of trafficking that are going on in Western Canada particularly." Debt bondage aside, workers can fall into a "vicious cycle" of exploitation simply by not being informed of their rights upon arrival, Sikka says.

Something as simple as informing workers about the procedure of changing employers would be helpful for foreign workers who are granted visas to work at one place, but upon arrival in Canada, are shuffled over to different employers.

By the time they figure out they are working illegally, experts say, these workers may be hesitant to speak out about an exploitive situation for fear of deportation.

"They can change employers if they want, but they're just not told," Sikka says. "Nobody informs them they have to go through that procedure."

'WORKING ILLEGALLY'

"Families who are sending people over, they'll do just about anything: Mortgage homes, take out loans, really just put all their eggs in one basket. So when the person gets here and if the job isn't what they had expected or they're not making the money they had expected or, in some cases, there's actually no job, they've been charged all this money and they end up working illegally," Sikka says. "And then they're stuck in this vicious cycle where they may not be working in accordance to their visa, but they're in such high debt bondage, there's just nothing they can do."

At the International Bureau for Children's Rights in Montreal, program manager Catherine Gauvreau recounts a story that began to unravel a few years ago about a trafficked teenaged girl.

Having been separated from her parents during a 1990s conflict in her home country and subsequently separated from her siblings, the girl arrived in Canada with a woman posing as her aunt.

"The child is obviously in a desperate situation in this case. She (the 'aunt') brings the child here, the child goes through the process, is accepted under false identity."

The victim ended up in a home where she "basically does domestic servitude, she takes care of the family, of the children," all the while under psychological control and physical abuse from the family, Gauvreau says.

"She goes into the school system. No one believes her because this is not something that supposedly happens in Canada."

That child, who is now an adult, became a successful refugee claimant after a friend's mother finally found credence in her allegations.

"It's important to recognize that some of the situations are domestic ones, where you have women and men, children even, who are kind of house servants and they're kept in the house and not able to get out," Dench says with this message for the government: "Try to make sure that people have as many opportunities as possible to assert their rights."

Loly Rico, co-director of the FCJ Refugee Centre in Toronto and president of Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, has seen cases of Canadians returning to their home countries to recruit people for work and bring them back to Canada. But instead of paying them money, they pay the workers with food and shelter.

"But they don't let you go out," Rico says.

Of the three trafficked women who have walked into Rico's office this year, two were forced into the sex trade; one was in forced domestic, abusive labour, she says.

"In most of the cases, they have been brought by relatives or friends," she says, adding most victims she has seen over the years come from the Caribbean and Latin America.

Sikka points out domestic and agricultural workers are often excluded from Employment Standards legislation.

"A lot of people want to be involved in trafficking. It's a big, sexy, glamorous, organized crime issue. Whether that's really the case is another story. And I don't think it is," Sikka says. "People don't always want to hear that. It's just not newsworthy, I guess. Because it's been happening for so long and people have ignored it for so long, now that we call it trafficking, they're still ignoring it."

"It just becomes everybody's responsibility to, in a sense, look out for your neighbour," says Robin Pike, executive director of the B.C. Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons. "If people are suspicious that the live-in caregiver next door has had her passport taken and has never been paid, it really is the eyes of the public."

"The one thing that I think that we should do faster than immediately is the education component," Manitoba MP Joy Smith says. "We should make sure that on airplanes people are warned about human trafficking. We should make sure that there's a 1-800 number if somebody's in trouble, with the resources behind it to make sure that person can be rescued."

"There's no one that wishes to be in bondage. There's no one that wishes to be confined. And there's no one that wishes to be used," she says, adding more resources need to be poured into educating police about identifying victims.

South of Ontario, where a state-wide task force funded by the U.S. government is set up to combat human trafficking, Amy Fleischauer says of the dozens of victims she has come across over the last year and a half, she can't paint just one picture of their situations.

There have been sex workers, restaurant workers, farm workers, domestic workers, says the trafficking victim services co-ordinator for the International Institute of Buffalo.

"They've been all ages. We've served some minors, but the large majority of our clients have been older, in their 30s and 40s," she says. "There really has been no trend or no one face of trafficking or one characteristic."

Most don't identify themselves as trafficking victims and are referred to Fleischauer by other organizations.

By the time they end up on her doorstep, they want to learn English; they want to know when they can work next; they want employment skills.

"We try to meet those needs and establish some trust and explain their rights and even what their rights are in this country if they're undocumented," she says.

"Those have been some really tough conversations -- that even if you are not in this country legally, you can't be beaten."

Winnipeg Sun, Tues Sept 30 2008
Byline: Tamara Cherry

Global competitiveness and trade issues are topping the agenda for Canadian business leaders as the federal election heats up.

Canada's competitiveness in relation to China and other expanding markets should be the top economic issue heading into the fall campaign, they add.

"That (competitiveness issue) is the central economic challenge facing Canada," says Ross Laver, vice-president of policy and communications for the Ottawa-based Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE). "Until recently, our economy has been growing at a good clip. The issue is that we're facing a number of serious challenges, in part because of the relentless competition from emerging markets."

A non-partisan organization, the CCCE is calling on all party leaders and parliamentarians to implement the recommendations of a federal competition review panel as soon as possible. The panel, whose findings were released in June, recommends changes to tax policy, stronger efforts to attract and retain talent, the removal of inter-provincial trade barriers, and improved flow of goods and services across the Canada-U.S. border.

Jock Finlayson, vice-president of policy for the Business Council of British Columbia, says Canada's next government must also quickly lay out a more detailed "competitiveness agenda.

He says Canada needs to pick up the pace on bilateral and multi-lateral trade agreements to make sure this nation is not at a disadvantage to other countries that have already signed deals.

"(Standing up for NAFTA) is an issue that would have some traction in the business community," says Finlayson. "NAFTA's not perfect, but it does give us better access to the U.S. market than we would have without it."

Bernard Courtois, president and CEO of the Information Technology Association of Canada, says it's important for candidates to advocate in favour of NAFTA - but they must tread carefully.

"I don't think it's wise to try and stick our nose into the U.S. (presidential) campaign, because in effect, we're intervening in a dynamic that's not really directed at us," says Courtois. "It's important to advocate around the benefits of more open trade, and then let things take place after that, once the American president is chosen."

Market conditions in this country and around the world show the need for Ottawa to develop an international competitiveness strategy, he adds.

"We'd like the various parties to address what are the big issues - the competitiveness issues in the economy, the environment, our demographic and skills challenges - and how they see technology fitting in as a solution to that," says Courtois.

The election campaign, he expects, will test Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's previously expressed support for developing new technology and promoting research and development tax credits to address environmental challenges. He says the Liberal emphasis on its "green" action plan, which includes a federal carbon tax, will result in other parties putting out less detailed policies in favour of criticizing the Grit strategy.

Corinne Pohlmann, vice-president of national affairs for the Canadian Federation of Business, says small and medium-sized businesses are looking for help from candidates on how to deal with the rising cost of fuel.

"A lot of our members are opposed to carbon taxes, even if there's a decrease in other taxes, because it really doesn't end up being that revenue-neutral for a lot of businesses that are out there," she says.

CFIB members also want to know the parties' positions on reducing regulatory paperwork across all sectors, and their plans related to labour - especially dealing with labour-shortage issues, financial support for training, and changes to the Employment Insurance (EI) system.

She says EI, last changed in 1996 when the unemployment rate was double the current level, must reflect the needs of today's labour market.

Pierre Alvarez, president and CEO of the Calgary-based Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), says energy costs may not be a focal point of the campaign because commodity and consumer prices are subsiding.

"The big one for us (during the election) is to focus on energy research and technology development," says Alvarez. "Canada does have a huge resource base - everything from uranium to natural gas, oil and coal - but they're tough resources. They're tough from an economic point of view, but they're also a challenge from an environmental point of view."

Oil and gas producers are not calling for party leaders to stand up for NAFTA, Alvarez adds, noting the energy sector enjoys considerable cross-border transparency and openness as billions of dollars worth of natural resources go back and forth every day.

Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) president Gil McGowan says the political candidates don't need to defend NAFTA because Canada will benefit if it is reopened.

"If (U.S. presidential candidates) John McCain and Barack Obama want to renegotiate the energy provisions of the NAFTA agreement, I say bring it on," says McGowan.

"I don't think Canadians should be afraid of reopening the NAFTA agreement because, frankly, it wasn't a particularly good agreement to begin with. Thanks to the rising price of oil and the abundance of oil in Western Canada, we're in a much better bargaining position than we were 15 years ago."

The current deal, he adds, prevents Canada from reducing energy exports to the U.S. while prices are high and demand from Asia is increasing.

And like business leaders, the AFL boss wants to hear how party leaders will improve Canada's global competitiveness.

"It seems Stephen Harper and the Conservatives have only one answer related to the economy - and that's to cut taxes," says McGowan. "But that's not good enough. We need a real industrial strategy from our politicians, one that will allow us to compete head-on with other countries around the world and which will allow us to create and keep good jobs here in Canada."

McGowan says Western Canada, especially Alberta, has been insulated from the downturn that is being felt in the rest of the country.

"Here in Alberta, it's easy for people to forget that Canada is facing a manufacturing crisis, and it doesn't seem the federal government is doing anything to address it," he says. "There are thousands of jobs lost in places like Ontario and Quebec."

McGowan also wants candidates to suggest alternatives to the temporary foreign worker program, which labour unions claim discriminates against employees from poor countries because they are not allowed to switch employers and are not assured of staying in Canada permanently.

Since temporary foreign workers are not eligible to vote, their plight is not expected to receive much airtime during the election.

However, business leaders say they can't predict which issue will be the focus of the campaign.

"Every election has its own personality," says CAPP's Alvarez.

Business Edge, Fri Sept 19 2008
Byline: Monte Stewart

A survey released by Canadian LabourWatch Association found unions are irrelevant and their leaders out of touch, but at least one union leader believes this view of the results is biased and distorted.

LabourWatch hired Nanos Research to conduct a telephone survey of 1,000 employed Canadians between July 27 and August 6, 2008.

One of the most important findings of the Nanos survey is that 77 per cent of non-unionized working Canadians are not interested in being unionized.

The survey also found that more than 25 per cent of currently unionized respondents said they would prefer not to be unionized, if given the choice.

"These results speak for themselves" said John Mortimer, president of LabourWatch.

"Union leader positions on a range of issues are contributing to this continuing slide in both interest and actual union representation."

A spokesperson for union workers in Alberta has a very different interpretation of the survey commissioned by LabourWatch.

"It (LabourWatch) is a Who's Who of anti-labour organizations that exists to undermine unions and get them off work sites," said Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour.

"When you look at this poll, you must consider the source. This is a laughable group that must not be taken seriously."

McGowan said Nanos is a reputable research firm, but it is clear that the questions have been written in such a way as to encourage negative responses to unions.

"Even with this biased approach, the survey shows that 75 per cent of the people polled are happy with and support their union," said McGowan. "This is a higher approval rating than any provincial government in Canada and higher than the Harper government. As a labour leader, these figures suggest we are on the right track."

In response to the survey's finding that people are not interested in union membership, McGowan argued that the restrictive labour laws in Alberta were the main reason more people are not being able to join a union.

"LabourWatch is not the only organization looking at or asking these types of questions," explained McGowan. "Our own internal survey shows that 30-40 per cent of the people who are not currently unionized would join a union if they could."

Another finding of the survey was that 84 per cent of working Albertans disagreed with union leaders using union dues to pay for advertising campaigns opposing political parties. Almost 70 per cent of working Albertans also disagreed with unions contributing to groups advocating causes unrelated to the workplace.

"The results clearly indicate that workers are rejecting the heavy handed tactics and negative rhetoric of union leaders who claim to speak for all working Albertans, said Stephen Kushner, president of Merit Contractors Association. "The recent provincial election in Alberta which saw the Alberta Building Trades Council (ABTC) and the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) spend millions of dollars on attack ads is a case in point."

In the run up to the Alberta election on March 3, 2008, the ABTC and the AFL sponsored a campaign called "Albertans for Change." The main aim of this campaign, which began before the election was announced, was to question the leadership abilities of Conservative party leader Ed Stelmach.

Critics of the campaign estimate the cost at $1 million for prime-time TV spots and full-page newspaper ads.

McGowan said the decision to spend union funds on the election campaign was made after going through a very democratic process.

McGowan is concerned about the direction the Conservatives are taking public policy on union dues and political campaigns.

"They (Conservatives) will probably get their wish on this one," said McGowan. "They will issue legislation this fall to reduce the unions' ability to spend money during an election."

Daily Commercial News and Construction Record, Thurs Sept 18 2008
Byline: Richard Gilbert