Paul Martin Wants To Hear From You!

February 2nd - Updated Feb 4

On Wednesday February 4, 2004, CBC television is holding a live question & answer period with the Prime Minister.  Anyone can call in. The question period is part of an extended version of The National.

The phone  # is 1-800-565-1422.

You can also send questions via the CBC web site at: http://www.cbc.ca/national/

Or you can fax your questions to the cbc if you wish (the fax number is on the CBC website).

Here are some questions you could ask:

• On December 12, you announced a freeze on reclassifications, the size of the public service and major capital projects.  There were no details mentioned then and even now, a month later, local managers are not able to provide much specific information.  When will you be explaining to federal government workers exactly what the freeze means?
  
• My negotiating team is returning to the bargaining table in a few days.  So far, there has been very little progress.  Will the employer representatives at the table be ready to get down to business this time?
  
• In conducting the recently-announced expenditure review, every government programme or project will be subjected to a number of tests to see whether or not it is something that should be delivered by the federal government or could be delivered in some other way, such as in the private sector.  Are there existing programmes that you think could be better delivered by the private sector and, if so, what are they?
  
• In conducting the recently-announced expenditure review, every government programme or project will be subjected to a number of tests to see whether or not it is something that should be delivered by the federal government or could be delivered in some other way, such as in the private sector.  What reassurance can you give to me and my co-workers that you consider our work to be a valuable service to Canadians and that our jobs will not be cut?
  
• Yet another report came out last week calling for strong legislative protection for whistle-blowers.  When can we expect your government to deliver on this longstanding promise?

For those of you working for Treasury Board or Agencies, it would be particularly timely to call in and ask about negotiations, restructuring, freezes, etc.

For those Locals whose employers are not in the federal public sector, there are many other issues that you may want to speak to Paul Martin about, especially this close to a federal election being called.

Please spread the word!  This is an opportune time to have your say and raise issues with the PM about the important work that you do.   Those of you that do write, email or call in, we'd love to hear about it.

Thanks.

In Solidarity,

Joanna Schultz, Regional Representative

Robinson Slams Martin and Cotler 'Backtracking' On Equality For Gay And Lesbian Couples

2004 OTTAWA- Svend Robinson MP (NDP Burnaby-Douglas) today condemned the recent waffling and backtracking by Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin and Justice Minister Irwin Cotler on the issue of equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.

Robinson also called on Martin and Cotler to respect the recent decision of Ontario Superior Court Judge Ellen Macdonald extending equal CPP survivor pensions to gay and lesbian people. He noted that Martin has stated that he is open to considering abolishing civil marriage in Canada and replacing it with "civil unions".

"It is unbelievable that Martin would seriously consider destroying the option of civil marriage in Canada for all couples, heterosexual and homosexual, in order to exclude gay and lesbian couples from equal marriage rights," said Robinson. "Ironically, this would mean that a gay couple could marry in a church that celebrates gay and lesbian marriages, but a heterosexual couple that are not religious would be denied the right to marry. Is this really Martin's concept of equality?"

Read all of the press release on the Multi-Union Pride page.

Open Invitation To All PSAC Members

February 5th

The B.C. Regional Aboriginal, Racially Visible, and Persons with Disabilities Committee cordially invites all PSAC members to a special open meeting of the committee in celebration of Black History / African Heritage Month on Thursday, February 19, 2004 from 5:45pm to 7:30pm.

This meeting will be cultural, political, historical as well as provide entertainment.  A guest speaker will be discussing African history, drumming in Africa, and give a brief demonstration on drums.

The event will be held at the PSAC Vancouver Regional Office, #200 - 5238 Joyce Street in Vancouver.

Please RSVP by February 16 as a light dinner will be served.

On behalf of the committee, and in solidarity,

Monica Urrutia, Acting Regional Representative

Solidarity In Action!

February 9th

This past weekend marked an important step forward in mobilizing and engaging PSAC members in B.C. in the current round of Treasury Board negotiations.

Local Presidents for Treasury Board Locals from all across B.C. met with the Regional Strike Committee for an intense planning weekend.

Highlights of the weekend included:

• An opportunity for each Local President to review the status of each of their worksites across the Province;
  A chance for the Area Strike Coordinators to work directly with the Local Presidents in identifying Strike Captains for each worksite;
• The development of concrete action plans for this week’s “Solidarity Week” activities, as well as a list of potential activities for future actions; (click below for an example of one handout that was developed);
• An opportunity to share concerns and identify solutions around conducting vote meetings;
• Practical, hands on tools to help identify strategic targets for future strike action.

We also had special guest speakers David Lee, Table 3 Negotiating Team Member, and Patty Ducharme, Regional Executive Vice-President for B.C.  David provided the big picture piece in terms of what’s happening at the Table and what kind of support the negotiating teams need from the members in the Regions.  Patty made the connections between what’s happening at the negotiating table and the need for our members to take an active role in the upcoming federal election.  

All in all, it was a well attended and productive meeting.  Our thanks to everyone who gave up their weekend to make it a success!

News Story - PM Woos Private Partners

February 9th - CanWest News

OTTAWA -- The federal government's top public servants are preparing the groundwork for a strong push toward privatization of federal activities.

The initiative will primarily apply to the way Ottawa spends the $3-billion infrastructure fund but could eventually include replacing administrative work in the public service with private call centres, said Liberal MP John McKay, who was asked by Prime Minister Paul Martin to act as the parliamentary secretary for public-private partnerships or "P3s."

...

Public Service Alliance of Canada President Nycole Turmel, who represents the largest union for federal public servants, said her union has studied previous attempts by Ottawa at P3s, such as with the defence department's supply chain, and found costs increased.

Turmel points out the auditor general has raised concerns that private contracts make it impossible for her to ensure accountability in how tax dollars are spent.

Read all of the story at Canada.com

Employment Opportunity - Victoria RO

Position Title: Administrative Assistant, Regional Office
Branch/Section: Regional Offices Branch
Employment Type: Permanent

As part of the Regional Office Team, the Administrative Assistant provides comprehensive administrative services that enables the Regional Office to fulfill its role in a timely and credible manner. Under the direction of the Regional Coordinator maintains the administrative aspects of the Regional Office. While carrying out the wide variety of administrative, secretarial and clerical responsibilities to ensure efficient operation of the Regional Office. View a detailed Job Description at www.psac.com

Legislation To Protect 'Whistleblowers' by March 31, 2004

February 10th - Ottawa - Upadated Feb 11

Feb 11: More info here, at the PM's website.

The Government of Canada today announced a comprehensive set of measures - including the establishment of an independent commission of public inquiry - in response to the Auditor General's report examining past sponsorship and advertising activities.

These measures will ensure that every effort is made to hold those responsible to account, to recover lost funds, to reform oversight and management practices and to answer all remaining questions concerning the sponsorship program.

...

Accordingly, the government will take the following further actions:

Introduce legislation to protect 'whistleblowers' by March 31, 2004 relying in part on the report of the Working Group on the Disclosure of Wrongdoing. This legislation will be referred to committee after first reading and will, among other things, provide measures to protect those who come forward to report mismanagement in the Public Sector, including employees of Crown Corporations.

Read the whole press release at the TBS-SCT website.

The People Behind The Service Campaign Launch

Februray 11th

This is an exciting day - the launch of the PSAC's "The People Behind the Service" campaign.

This campaign will help the public and decision makers understand the important work our members do.  This is critical for gaining public support for the various sets of negotiations in progress, as well as raising awareness for the upcoming federal election.

Check out the new website: www.workingforcanadians.ca

In the BC Region, we are establishing a committee to work on developing a regional element to the campaign.  In the meantime, each PSAC member in B.C. will be receiving a letter from Patty Ducharme, REVP, announcing the campaign and providing some insight and background into the reasons for the campaign.  Included in the envelope is a brochure that outlines a bit about the campaign and where people can see the ads.

A critical element of the campaign is concrete stories about what your work involves -- we want to hear YOUR stories.  Last night as a group of us were stuffing the envelopes for the direct mailing, the stories were already starting to emerge.

This is a very exciting opportunity to expose the public to the true story of "The People Behind the Service".  We hope you can spread the word far and wide so that all members get a chance to participate in this positive and proactive campaign.

If you'd like more information, or would like to become involved in the campaign, please email Joanna Schultz.

A Call To The Women In The Labour Movement

February 12th

Shane Polak, President of the Vancouver and District Area Council, invites you to join him at CJSF radio at Simon Fraser University on March 7th. His program, Labour Radio, airs from 4 to 5PM. 

He would like to devote the show to women's Union issues.  If you are interested in joining him on-air please contact Shane at 604-525-8059 or 604-619-0308 or by email at polak@telus.net.

PSAC applauds planned introduction of whistleblowers' legislation

February 13th

OTTAWA - The Public Service Alliance of Canada has applauded the federal government's decision to introduce whistleblowers' legislation by the end of March.

But the union said the legislation alone isn't enough protection for whistleblowers must be included in collective agreements because the majority of federal employees are unionized.

"There has to be rights for the workers when they speak out," said PSAC president Nycole Turmel at a press conference Wednesday to launch a Canada-wide campaign about the role of public sector workers.

She said PSAC is trying to incorporate whistleblowing protection in the current round of negotiations with the Treasury Board, but no progress has been made.

The government's announcement came on the heels of a scathing report released Tuesday by Auditor General Sheila Fraser about serious abuses in the federal government's sponsorship program.

New Democrat Pat Martin, who headed the government operations committee's review into whistleblowing, said efforts have been made to push the government into approving whistleblowers legislation, but it has been constantly opposed.

"I'm very pleased the government has finally seen the light, but it's a little too late,'' Martin said. "We could have saved untold millions of dollars if only the government had allowed the legislation to be put in during the last decade."

Turmel said more federal employees will be willing to expose abuses in their departments once the legislation takes effect.

"Workers can denounce things without having an impact on their careers. We know right now without the protection, they won't say it and we have proof of that."

Turmel added the auditor general's report has affected the morale of many public sector workers, but she insists it's not a black mark on them. "Workers don't have anything to do with that. The attorney general said it really clearly in her report that it's the higher level of management that were involved."

Action needed - Support Nicaraguan Banana Workers

February 17th

From: "Nicaragua Network" <nicanet@afgj.org>

Dole, Shell and Dow Counter Sue Nicaraguan Banana Workers! Take Action Today!

The Nemagon legal case, in which hundreds of Nicaraguan banana workers won a judgement against Dole, Dow and Shell in Nicaraguan courts, has taken a turn for the worse! The three companies accused and found liable in the 2002 Nicaraguan court case have responded by countersuing the claimants. The Dole Food Company filed a suit in late December against the workers, their legal representatives, and the doctors who evaluated the patients' health. The companies are seeking a total of $17 billion in this countersuit. Dole officials have filed under the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) law, which generally applies to mafia crimes. According to the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa, both Shell and Dow joined the suit, though without employing the RICO statute.

The companies have accused the claimants of fraud, claiming they listed Nicaraguans who never worked on the banana plantations. The effects of Nemagon can be felt through air, ground soil and water contamination, and can be passed through generations, thus damaging workers, their families, and those residing in the environs of the plantations. The corporations' countersuit is a shameful demonstration of the callous disregard for human life typically displayed by transnational corporations.

In response, thousands of Nemagon victims are marching from Chinandega, the heart of the banana-growing region, to Managua, expecting to arrive on February 11th. They are calling on the Nicaraguan government to issue a statement of support of their cause. Victorino Espinales, who has led the protests from their start, said, "We will take up our positions in front of the National Assembly, in front of the Presidential Palace and before the Supreme Court. We demand that these state institutions adopt a position in support of the workers. We will ask everyone, from the deputies to the President himself, to treat us with dignity and respect and to condemn the position adopted by these gringo companies."

Support those affected by the use of this hazardous pesticide. Fax Dole, Shell, and Dow to demand they drop this fallacious counter-suit and respect the Nicaraguan court decision by paying just compensation to those suffering former workers and their families!

Take Action Today!

Send faxes to Dole, Dow and Shell at the following fax numbers:

William S. Stavropoulos President, CEO and Chairman of the Board Dow Chemical Company 47 Building Midland, MI 48667 Fax: (989)636-7238

David H. Murdock Chairman of the Board, CEO Dole Food Company, Inc. One Dole Drive Westlake Village, CA 91362 Consumer Center Fax: (818) 874-4997

Shell Oil Company Contact: Raymond T. Collins P.O. Box 2463 Houston, TX 77252 Fax: (713) 241-0315

Use the sample letter below (text)

The Latin American Solidarity Conference website can be found at
www.lasolidarity.org

nicaragua_lettter.txt

CSL Gets $160M More Than Expected!

February 19th

This cartoon was in published in the Cowichan Valley Citizen, February 11, 2004.

The newspaper headline reads: CSL gets $160M more than expected. Here's some background, from the Globe and Mail.

Course Schedule for North & Interior Now Available

The Education schedule has been updated with courses for the North & Interior. 

Abbotsford P3 Hospital Costs Soaring: Report

VICTORIA (CBC) - The Hospital Employees' Union has released an auditor's report which raises new questions about the value of a public- private partnership for a new hospital in Abbotsford.

The report by independent forensic auditor Ron Parks says costs of the public-private partnership are ballooning – up 94 per cent over the original estimate of $720 million to $1.4 billion over the 33 years of the contract.

The report also says there is little assurance that the public interest will be protected, and no assurance that all stakeholders will be involved in the process. Parks also questions the 30-year term of the contract, adding that it could mean increased costs in the long run.

The HEU is repeating its call for the provincial government to scrap the public-private partnership and simply build a public hospital. The union also says the process has lost any sense of competition as three of the four original bidders on the project have dropped out.

This is the second report Parks has prepared for the HEU critical of the Abbotsford hospital project.

Take The Welfare Time Limit Off the Books

February 27th

By Shelagh Day

The Government of British Columbia now says that, over the next year, only 339 people will be affected by the 24-month time limit on welfare -- the rule intended to limit 'employable' welfare recipients to two years of support during any five year period.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Human Resources announced a new exemption -- the 25th. Now those who follow their employment plans and are seeking work will be exempted from the 24-month time limit. Though this is an encouraging development, the government still has to go the full course and remove the time limit from the books altogether.

The announcement of this new exemption is a backhanded admission by the province that applying a time limit to welfare does not work. The message of the time limit legislation is that if you have not gotten a job in 24 months, you are, by definition, ³unwillingÿ to work, lazy, a malingerer, and should be cut off or have your welfare reduced as a penalty. Premier Campbell has been bent on persuading the B.C. public to treat those who are poor as market failures to be punished and abandoned with impunity.

Read the rest here.

On TV Tonight - NOW with Bill Moyer - Criminalizing Dissent

February 27th

Friday Feb 27th, 9PM, KCTS 9 (Channel 27 in Vancouver)

At this year’s Republican Convention scheduled for late summer in New York City, protestors have promised that 1 million people will be out on the streets. How is the government preparing to handle massive dissent?

Disturbing clues have emerged in what happened at a trade conference in Miami last November where hundreds of protesters were detained, searched, and some seriously injured in violent clashes with police. While official Miami hailed the event as a model for 'homeland security,' others called it a preemptive strike on dissent and an assault on civil liberties. NOW with Bill Moyers takes a hard look at the protests and their aftermath to examine whether law enforcement was maintaining order or abusing power. As other cities turn to Miami for examples of how to police their major events, segment asks, were they protecting the public or serving special interests?

More info here: http://www.kcts.org/seriesdetail.asp?N1=NOWB (link to KCTS opens in new window)

Grievances Filed To Protest TB's Latest Offer

February 27th

PSAC Members in Peterborough started a mass grievance yesterday to protest the Treasury Boards latest offer (link to psac.com opens in new window). 
 
Details of Grievance:

"I grieve that the Employer is bargaining in bad faith with Tables 1, 2, 3 and 5 of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. Federal Cabinet Aides were given increases of $32,000.00, which is close to the average wage of Federal Workers, yet the Employer is yet to table a reasonable wage offer for the Tables.

Corrective Action Requested:

That the Employer begin to bargain in good faith. 
That the Employer table a fair and reasonable wage offer to the Tables. In addition to improving working conditions and benefits overall, this offer should include a wage package amounting to no less than 5% increase for each contract year."

Members in BC have joined in:

"We've got about 60 signed here at HRCC Vancouver which we'll be submitting next week, HRCC Coquitlam submitted about 50 today, and Burnaby, Nanaimo, Victoria, Abbotsford, Nelson and Prince George have expressed interest and will likely be doing the same and spreading the word."

-Robert Strang, President CEIU 20944

If you are a Table 1,2,3 or 5 member and would like to file a grievance of your own, contact your Shop Steward or Local Executive!

Take The Welfare Time Limit Off the Books

February 27th

By Shelagh Day

The Government of British Columbia now says that, over the next year, only 339 people will be affected by the 24-month time limit on welfare -- the rule intended to limit 'employable' welfare recipients to two years of support during any five year period.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Human Resources announced a new exemption -- the 25th. Now those who follow their employment plans and are seeking work will be exempted from the 24-month time limit. Though this is an encouraging development, the government still has to go the full course and remove the time limit from the books altogether.

The announcement of this new exemption is a backhanded admission by the province that applying a time limit to welfare does not work. The message of the time limit legislation is that if you have not gotten a job in 24 months, you are, by definition, ³unwillingÿ to work, lazy, a malingerer, and should be cut off or have your welfare reduced as a penalty. Premier Campbell has been bent on persuading the B.C. public to treat those who are poor as market failures to be punished and abandoned with impunity.

But this is a false and mean stereotype. People who are poor are not lazier than people who are rich. They are competing for marginal jobs in a provincial economy where about 200,000 people are unemployed. The 25th exemption essentially acknowledges this; it admits that looking for a job does not necessarily mean finding one. It is also an acknowledgement that no one 'chooses' to be on welfare--social assistance incomes are deplorably low and living on them is hard.

The 24-month time limit was never necessary. Even before this new 'exemption', the 24-month rule was completely redundant. The Employment and Assistance Regulation already permits the Government to cut recipients off welfare for failing to follow their employment plans, or for refusing to accept work. What happened last week is that the Government retreated in the face of mounting pressure from community organizations, churches, unions, city councils, social policy experts, and individuals who let the Government know that the 24-month rule is both impractical and morally repugnant.

British Columbia is the only province in Canada that has ever placed an arbitrary time limit on welfare eligibility. It represents a serious break with Canadian social policy of the last fifty years. Canada has built a somewhat patchy, but important social safety net, based on an understanding that collectively we should provide everyone with protections against 'universal risks to income', that is, against those natural and market events that can make any one of us unable to provide for ourselves and our families --sickness, disability, old age, child-bearing, unemployment and underemployment. We have agreed that Canada should distribute its resources in a way that provides a social minimum when these events threaten our security, either temporarily or permanently.

Social assistance is the very bottom of the social safety net, available only to those who are in the most extreme need, who have no employment, and who have exhausted their savings and any other benefits to which they may be entitled.

Cutting people off social assistance, not because they are no longer in need, but because their period of need has lasted longer than the government would like, is bad policy, whether it affects thousands or 339 or one. It displays a complete disregard for the humanity of those who are poor.

The government should apologize to all the welfare recipients in British Columbia for the stress and anxiety they have caused by having this 24-month rule hanging over them for the last two years. Like the disability review, this policy has caused heartache and harm to the most vulnerable people, for no good purpose. The government should now notify all the thousands of people living in anxiety that the time limits do not apply to them, and the 339 people at risk should also be notified and their right to appeal assured.

Most importantly, the government should just take the 24-month time limit
off the books. A rule that requires 25 exemptions is a feeble rule. And a rule that, to save the government's face, requires an exemption that guts the rule itself -- as the 25th exemption does -- needs to be scrapped. So long as the rule remains, some vulnerable people will remain at risk.

Time limits on welfare cannot work. They are not consistent with Canadian social policy traditions. And they violate basic human rights values that Canadians share, and that are expressed in both the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and in international human rights treaties that Canada has ratified. BC's provincial government should get the time limits off the books.

Shelagh Day is a Director of the Poverty and Human Rights Project in Vancouver, and a research associate with the BC Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. www.policyalternatives.ca