Nearly two thirds — 62 per cent — of Canadians approve of Bill C-377, legislation that requires unions to disclose expenses over $5,000 and salaries over $100,000, an exclusive Forum Research poll shows. Support remains high among self-identified union supporters: 59 per cent of them said they support more disclosure. Support spikes among Conservative-aligned respondents to 81 per cent, which could help explain why the party helped ram the bill through ahead of the expected October election.
Only 18 per cent of those surveyed disapproved of the bill, though that rises to 28 per cent among union members and 49 per cent of New Democrats.
French-speaking Canadians support the bill more strongly than Anglophones: 69 per cent of French-speakers said they agreed with it compared to 60 per cent of English speakers.
The survey reveals an appetite for transparency more than a distaste for unions in particular, as more than three quarters (78 per cent) of those surveyed said they would like to see the bill expanded to include employer groups like the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).
“It is not surprising that a bill which calls for transparency would gather majority support, but the bill’s proponents should not in turn be surprised if voters see the bill being good for gander as well as goose. They may come to regret the innovative legislation they just passed,” said Forum Research President Lorne Bozinoff in a statement.
Canadians support the bill, but experts have said it could be challenged in court. The federal privacy commissioner has also questioned its legality and the Ontario Federation of Labour has declared it a “blatant attack” on unions.
Even Conservative Cabinet ministers, including Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt and the late Jim Flaherty, have questioned the government’s decision to support the bill.
Conservative Senators’ decision to break with tradition and overrule the Speaker in order to pass the bill before breaking for the summer got tongues wagging in Ottawa but didn’t evidently affect support for the transparency the bill will enforce.
The bill’s proponents say unions have for too long spent thousands, even millions in union dues on political causes without their members knowing the exact numbers. Third-party advertisers, predominantly unions, spent almost $9 million in the 2014 election in Ontario, and labour groups are gearing up to combat the federal Conservatives in the pending vote this fall.
“We’ll redouble our efforts to make sure Harper doesn’t get re-elected,” OFL President Sid Ryan said of the bill’s passage.
The poll suggests, however, that union members across the country want to know more about how the organizations are spending their money, which is taken off paycheques much like other payroll deductions whether they like it or not. That’s how unions work in Canada, but a little more sunshine could lead to further reforms if workers don’t like how their hard-earned cash is being spent.
It might just be what the Conservatives are hoping for, and precisely what labour fears.
Respondents were told the bill recently became law and “it states all unions must disclose expenditure of $5,000 or more and any salary of $100,000 or more” and asked if they approve or disapprove of C-377 on those grounds. The next question asked if CFIB and CAPP should be subject to the same rules.
The interactive-voice-response poll surveyed 1,200 Canadians from July 5 to 7. It is considered accurate by a margin of three per cent, 19 times out of 20.
The lede of this story has been edited to clarify the Senate’s procedure on C-377
Original Article
Source: canada.com/
Author: ASHLEY CSANADY
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