Marine

Retired workers play growing role

The role of retirees in the union is growing, and vital to the union;s work, Unifor’s annual Retired Workers Council heard

Kitsilano reopening a welcome start

Published on Friday August 12, 2016

There was some welcome news on the west coast this week.

On Monday in Vancouver, Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, officially reopened the coast guard’s Kitsilano Station.

It was the ceremonial completion of a promise the Liberal government fulfilled last May, when it reversed the former Harper government’s decision to close the station in the heart of Vancouver, Canada’s busiest harbour.

Senate has no right to block repeal of C-377 and C-525

Published February 3, 2016 in the Huffington Post.

It took only a few minutes, but with a quick motion in the House of Commons last week, the new Liberal government moved to repeal two appalling pieces of federal labour legislation brought in by the former Harper government, Bills C-377 and C-525.

Almost immediately, Conservatives in the Senate promised to do all they could to block that repeal. We can’t let that happen. For those who thought this particular struggle was over, there is still much work to be done.

Time for a real debate on TPP

Published in the Huffington Post February 10, 2016

Now that the Trans Pacific Partnership has been signed, maybe we can have the honest, open and transparent debate that Canadians were denied during the federal election – and which the new Liberal government in Ottawa has promised.

Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland signed the TPP last week, saying it was merely a formality before the deal could be put before Parliament for debate. So, let’s have that debate. There’s certainly a lot to talk about.