As part of his billionairist agenda, Mark Carney is seeking to weaken union rights. After cutting capital gains taxes, enabling mega projects and overruling science at the behest of profit, the former Goldman Sachs banker wants to weaken federal labour regulations, which covers 10% of the workforce (labour legislation is largely provincial jurisdiction).
With little media attention, Carney initiated a consultation to review the Canada Labour Code. In mid-April the federal government contacted unions representing significant numbers of federally-regulated workers – such as transport, telecommunications and banking – to inform them a consultation on the rules regulating their work would commence the next day. The review was only supposed to last 30 days though the government extended it by a week after protest. Still, there’s little reason to rush such a significant matter.
In mid-June, soon after the consultation period closed, the Senate released a report titled Keep Canada Moving: Labour, Management and Supply Chain in the Rail and Maritime Sectors. Dubbed a “corporate Canada wish list”, the report recommends major overhauls to curb strikes and lockouts. The purported aim is to ensure resource distribution and exports.
The Carney government seems to want to further undercut the constitutionally protected right to strike. A week ago Bloomberg reported, “employers are urging Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to allow the labor minister to preemptively limit strike action in sectors such as airlines, railroads, and ports if a dispute threatens the national public interest.”
Last week a Globe and Mail Report on Business story was headlined, “WestJet labour dispute is really a proxy battle between Carney and unions.” In that column labour Professor Steven Tufts pointed out that “In April, the Liberals once again floated the privatization of large airports as a way of unlocking their full asset value for investors, and raising funds for new infrastructure. Airports are already sought-after investments by large investors (including pension funds), even more so if workers in the sector can’t strike to improve wages.”
According to the Financial Post, Carney is set to announce details about the privatization of Canada’s airports at his CEO summit in Toronto. In mid-September 100 of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful bankers and financial managers will attend ‘Davos on Lake Ontario’.
An effective way for unions to pre-empt any effort to weaken their bargaining position is to get ahead of the debate. To avoid/fight Carney gutting the labour code, unions should work to portray the former banker (correctly) as working for the bosses. Organized labour will not have a better opportunity to do that than when Carney brings Davos to downtown Toronto.
Unifor, Teamsters Canada, Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Canadian Union of Public Employees and other major federal unions have hundreds of employees and activists in Toronto. Without too much effort they could bring out a few hundred to join NGOs, environmental groups, indigenous activists and anti-capitalists organizing a series of events and a demonstration against the privatization summit. The goal of Canadian unions and the broader left should be to turn Carney’s CEO summit into a mask off moment. Let’s make it the end of the ‘elbows up’ Carney honeymoon.
The Confront Carney’s CEO Summit mobilization has thousands of stickers and leaflets to be distributed in Toronto and is also looking for assistance with online outreach and art making. A series of working groups coordinating different elements of the mobilization have online organizing meetings. If you would like to assist with the mobilization email: capitalismcantbefixed@gmail.com
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