The CBC, which is fighting back against the measures, released a statement Wednesday night warning of possible “unintended consequences” and said it is requesting a meeting with the federal government to ensure Cabinet ministers have “accurate information” about its record on restraint, employee salary increases over the past several years, and its mandate under the Broadcasting Act.
Two unions representing journalists and creative artists at the CBC have warned the Cabinet plan to take direct control over Crown corporation bargaining mandates, as well as terms and conditions of work for non-unionized employees, threatens journalistic independence, while Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) has called it a “recipe for political interference” and NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair (Outremont, Que.) denounced it as a threat to all Crown corporations, which traditionally and by law operate at arm’s-length from the executive branch of government to prevent political involvement.
Treasury Board President Tony Clement (Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ont.) singled out CBC, Canada Post, and Via Rail in an interview Tuesday with The Globe and Mail, after The Hill Times online story earlier that day unleashed a flood of angry response about the government plans on Twitter and other social media.
“There’s some that we’re going to key in on more than others,” Mr. Clement told The Globe and Mail, saying it is “common knowledge” Canada Post is struggling with declining demand, Via Rail has “struggles of its own” and CBC is “always struggling to put out good content at a time of sometimes declining ad revenues and other revenues.”
Mr. Clement’s comments to The Globe and Mail have been his only statements outside the House of Commons on the controversy, and he has otherwise restricted his reaction to a written response from either his communications director or his press secretary.
The statement said the government “will look at options to improve the financial viability of Crown corporations, including compensation levels” and that the government is ensuring “public service labour costs align and that taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars are used efficiently.”
“We will also ensure consistency throughout government on this plan. Both the government and Crown corporations have a responsibility to spend taxpayer dollars wisely,” the statement said.
On Wednesday, however, Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre (Nepean-Carleton, Ont.) took a more combative approach, suggesting the government is preparing for a pre-election confrontation with unions representing employees at the Crown corporations.
“I am not here to take marching orders from union bosses,” Mr. Poilievre told reporters on behalf of the government. “I represent taxpayers and, frankly, taxpayers expect us to keep costs under control so that we can keep taxes down. It is for those taxpayers that we work. Not union bosses.”
But of the three Crown corporations, only the CBC will have its major collective agreements expire between now and 2014 as the 2015 federal general election nears, including one covering 5,000 English-language news personnel and journalists that expires March 31, 2014.
Canada Post’s collective agreements with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have more than two years left in their terms. A collective agreement with Canada Post’s rural employees expires on Dec. 31, 2015, and its collective agreement with urban employees expires Jan. 31, 2016, Anick Losier, Canada Post media relations director, told The Hill Times on Wednesday.
Via Rail and the Teamsters union representing its 2,900 employees did not respond to requests for information about its collective agreement, but Via’s latest annual report, for 2011-12, says a four-year contract was ratified in 2011.
A review of Via Rail’s latest posted annual report and 13 other Crown corporations, aside from the CBC and Canada Post, shows that most of them have experienced government funding cuts and internal spending reductions over the past three years of government restraint and the government-wide strategic review of government programs.
Parliamentary appropriations for the Museum of Civilization were cut by $2.8-million in 2011-12 to $71.2-million, while the museum raised $1-million through its own fundraising from private-sector donors. The Museum of Nature lost $5-million in government funding because of restraint measures, while its fundraising program saw a decline in private donations.
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, responsible for security at all airports under federal jurisdiction, experienced a 10-per-cent reduction in its $60-million of federal funding in the 2012 Conservative budget.
The CBC, in its response to the government’s plan and Mr. Clement’s statement, outlined its spending restraint measures and said its salary increases have averaged 1.9 per cent over the past seven years while salaries in the private sector have increased an average of three per cent over the same period.
It noted its budget was cut by $115-million as part of the government’s 2012 deficit reduction plan, and that it lost 1,450 jobs during government restraint because of the recession and the 2012 budget. The Crown corporation noted Auditor General Michael Ferguson conducted a special examination of CBC and Radio Canada this past February and found the corporation “manages its assets efficiently and economically.”
“We support efforts to help Crown corporations manage public resources responsibly,” the CBC said. “We believe that this initiative may have unintended consequences on the successful operation of some corporations. It is important that these consequences are understood and addressed.”
The statement also noted the Broadcasting Act gives the CBC board of directors the “explicit authority” to determine the salaries of its employees and that CBC and Radio Canada employees are not public servants.
The budget bill would give Cabinet the power to order Crown corporations to have their mandates for collective bargaining approved by Cabinet’s Treasury Board committee of ministers and allow for a Treasury Board employee to monitor negotiations.
Original Article
Source: hilltimes.com
Author: TIM NAUMETZ
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