Omnibus bill exposes ‘pragmatic’ Stephen Harper as a radical

Stephen Harper is often portrayed by his supporters as a pragmatist, a man who simply wants to do what works. But the evidence suggests that the “major transformation” he promised at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January is aimed in a more radical direction.

Instead of measures aimed at producing more above-the-poverty-line jobs for the unemployed and directly attacking stagnant wages for middle class Canadians, the massive omnibus bill before Parliament has a more narrowly conservative intent. Instead of providing hope, its measures will dampen our expectations and deepen inequality.

Most unemployed workers will now be forced to accept work that pays up to 30 per cent less than their previous jobs after only a few weeks of job search. Contractors will no longer be required to ensure employment equity for women and racial minorities. And employers will be permitted to pay temporary foreign workers up to 15 per cent less than the standard regional wage for that job — thus exploiting them and putting downward pressure on the wages of Canadian workers. Is this the Canada we want?

No clear rationale has been provided by the Conservative government for these regressive changes conveniently tucked into the omnibus bill. We have had only vague allusions by ministers. One is the cliché about the alleged problem of “disincentives to work.” Another is Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s “there is no such thing as a bad job,” which is the more likely indicator of the government’s policy motivation.

The clear impression conveyed is that too many Canadian workers are slackers and need some kind of “tough love” to get them to work. But according to Statistics Canada (not, as we know, this government’s favourite institution), the reality is that for every job listed as being available by employers there are no fewer than six unemployed workers seeking it. The “real” unemployment rate that includes part-time workers who want a full-time job was 10.6 per cent in May and more than twice that level for young people. The number seeking work per available job is much higher in the regions targeted by the new employment insurance changes. The serious problem in Canada is a slack economy, not an abundance of slackers.

So what is Harper up to? Why does Flaherty say any job is a good job? The message to Canadians is that you are lucky to have a job and don’t expect too much. The message to employers is that you can continue to drive down wages, even more so for women, racial minorities and foreign workers.

The Conservatives have reinforced those provisions by attacking the fundamental right of workers to strike in areas of federal jurisdiction. This right is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the two principal Covenants to which Canada has committed itself. It is a right fought for and won by an earlier generation of Canadians. Canada is being reshaped in an ideological direction reminiscent of the 1920s.

Instead of attacking workers, Harper and his ministers should be attacking stagnant wages and the loss of thousands of jobs, particularly in the manufacturing sector. He should be looking to the Nordic countries and others that have strategies for industrial growth and well-paid workers, countries that have rejected the “race to the bottom” and maintained innovative private sectors with a more equal distribution of income and wealth.

This federal budget should provoke a public debate about the kind of Canada we want.

Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Ed Broadbent