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January 4, 2006
Bulletin
Greetings
Brothers and Sisters,
On behalf of the Officers, I hope all our members and their families
had a safe and happy Holiday Season.
Election
2006
As we enter 2006, the country will be involved in a
Federal election campaign. Politicians will be knocking at the door,
phoning, and appearing on our television sets and e-mail. All will be
trying to convince us that they are the one for the job!
How does an average working Canadian tell the
difference between the candidates? Read the newspaper? Listen to radio
open line hosts? Radio/TV news? With the degree of corporate media
control in North America it is difficult to differentiate between NEWS
and political advertising.
During the upcoming campaign, ILWU - Canada
will be supporting the Canadian Labour Congress 'Better Choice 2006' campaign.
The campaign will focus on issues of importance to working
people. Some of the highlighted issues are:
- Pay Equity,
- Pension Protection & Retirement Security for Workers,
- Protecting Jobs through Training and Education, and
- Anti-scab Legislation.
The CLC will be distributing flyers, leaflets and other media to make
these “issues” during the campaign.
To view the better choices 2006 campaign on the Net, visit www.betterchoice.ca.
ILWU-Canada has sent an e-mail to candidates in select
constituencies where our members reside. The e-mail poses two
questions:
- If elected will the candidate support the ILWU position that any
security regulation respect the rule of law of “innocence until proven
guilty” and that there must be a provision for a transparent,
independent appeals procedure.
- If elected will the candidate support anti-scab legislation!
It is our intention to notify our members in those ridings of the
candidates' response prior to the election.
During the last Federal election, more than
one-third of eligible voters stayed home or could not be bothered to
vote. It was the worst turnout rate since Confederation! Please make
sure that you exercise your hard won “right” January 23, 2006.
If you expect to be out of town there are provisions for Advance Polls.
Check with Elections Canada or your preferred candidate!
Security
Legislation
The proposed security legislation is currently on
hold pending a Justice department determination on the threshold issue,
appeals procedure, and privacy assurance provisions put forward by the
Union and Employers. When Transport Canada finally gets some answers,
there may be a pilot project some time in the future.
On behalf of the Officers, ILWU - Canada,
Tom Dufresne