February 15, 2016 • No. 4 | PDF Previous Issues
Parliament Resumes After Week of War Preparations
What the Government Is Up To
Parliament will resume work on Tuesday, February 16 after not sitting for the week of February 8-12. It will now sit until February 29 following which another week-long recess will take place, before resuming March 7-11 and then taking another week’s recess.
The first order of business in the House of Commons is resuming debate on Bill C-4, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code, the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act, the Public Service Labour Relations Act and the Income Tax Act. Bill C-4 would effectively repeal two anti-worker private member’s bills, C-525 and C-377 introduced by Conservative MPs and supported by the previous government.
Two other government motions are on the agenda. Bill C-2 was introduced in December 2015 and formalizes the government’s changes to income tax brackets. Bill C-5, An Act to repeal Division 20 of Part 3 of the Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1, repeals the aspect of the Harper-era “economic action plan” which “authorizes the Treasury Board to establish and modify, despite the Public Service Labour Relations Act, terms and conditions of employment related to the sick leave of employees who are employed in the core public administration.”
Bill C-5 was introduced on February 5 by Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board which is presently in negotiations with public service workers who have been without a collective agreement since 2014. In the most brazen attempt to fool workers into accepting the austerity agenda, Brison is also asking public service unions to agree to give up the right to negotiate sick leave benefits and place decision-making power regarding sick days in the hands of the Treasury Board — the same thing accomplished by the sections in the Economic Action Plan he is proposing to repeal. The workers are in no mood to be hoodwinked and have made it clear that they are not falling for such an obvious ruse.
Two meetings of the House of Commons Finance Committee are scheduled for February 16 to hear from witnesses on the upcoming federal budget in the context of a deepening financial crisis which has hit Canadians hard.
An example of this crisis is seen in the refusal of governments to guarantee Canada’s food sovereignty. The right of the people to adequate food is now suffering due to the high cost of food as well as its bad quality due to overuse of hormones, pesticides and genetic engineering. This not only makes food unaffordable but also has a negative effect on the people’s health. Around 80 per cent of fresh fruits and vegetables on which Canadians rely are imported, mostly from the U.S., and have seen steep price increases, including a doubling of the price of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts) after a general rise in produce prices of more than 9 per cent in 2015. For all Canadians but especially peoples in the north and Indigenous peoples this has had a severe impact.
In this regard the Senate Banking Committee has also opened hearings on the value of the Canadian dollar which will involve testimony from the Bank of Canada, the Department of Finance and other banks. Senator David Tkachuk (Saskatchewan) said it is “an opportunity for us to provide Canadians some information on what’s taking place with the Canadian dollar” and “provide information for the media and news reporters who are writing about this stuff.” Judging by the commentaries related to the hearings, it is also an occasion to peddle the idea that Canada should adopt the U.S. dollar as its own currency.
The government’s agenda for this sitting makes clear the Liberal government is continuing to take Canada in the same neo-liberal direction as the Harper government before it under the guise that it is less extremist.
Canada’s New War Government
During the Parliamentary recess it was also made clear that this government, like the Harper government before it, is a war government. On February 8, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a large expansion of Canada’s military mission in Iraq and a new mission in Iraq and a new mission which will see Canadian soldiers stationed in Jordan and Lebanon. Canadians have not been informed of any request by the governments of either Jordan or Lebanon for soldiers or for what purpose they are needed.
In making the announcement, the Prime Minister made it very clear he has prerogative powers in matters related to war and peace, meaning that the decision to expand the mission is his and his alone to make. To avoid dealing with what precisely the mission is and who it serves, he repeated that he was acting according to the mandate given to him by Canadians during the election. Despite the fact that Canadians want Canada to be a peaceful country which upholds the UN principles of non-interference into the affairs of other countries and not use force to resolve conflicts, he gave the self-serving line that Canadians told him to do what he is doing. The decision will be debated in Parliament but “obviously involves the executive of our government as opposed to the legislative,” Trudeau said. There will also be “further debate in two years’ time in Parliament on continuance of this mission,” he said.
Supported by Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance, Trudeau insisted the mission announced February 8 is “non-combat.” “We are not the principal combatant on the ground, therefore it’s non-combat,” Vance said. This kind of “cute talk” makes a mockery of the serious concerns of Canadians who cannot rely on the government to even speak straight. It underscores the importance of not losing sight of the aggressive aim of the mission and the U.S. striving for domination in which Canada is being further embroiled.
The extended military mission in Iraq, initially set to last until March 2017, is called an Advise, Assist, Equip mission. It will begin with 400 additional troops sent to Iraq, including special forces, arming local forces and a doubling of “intelligence-gathering assets” in the region, the number of which is not publicly disclosed. A second “capacity building” mission was also announced which will involve sending at least 100 soldiers to Lebanon and Jordan.
The irony unspoken in official circles is that while Canada’s training mission in Iraq includes assistance to Kurdish forces, its NATO ally Turkey is intensifying its air strikes and shelling of Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), including within Syria.
On February 11 it was announced that the Canadian frigate HMCS Fredericton has been sent to the Aegean Sea under NATO command allegedly to “counter human trafficking.” This is a serious concern for Canadians with the ongoing humanitarian crises resulting in thousands of people attempting to find safe passage through those waters each day, and hundreds already losing their lives doing so this year alone. The fact that this militarization will not contribute to resolving the refugee crisis was made clear by the attempt of NATO to make the issue about “human trafficking and criminal networks.”
NATO did not indicate whether it would assist in saving the lives of those whose boats capsize. However, according to the protocols of Greece and Turkey which share the Aegean Sea, all those intercepted will be sent to Turkey. After years of U.S.-led destabilization of the region causing the present crisis, NATO is now attempting to prevent refugees from reaching Europe under the hoax of security and combating criminal networks.
The mission in the Aegean Sea was announced on the last day of a meeting of defence ministers of NATO member states in Brussels, Belgium. Canada’s Minister of Defence, Harjit Sajjan participated and indicated Canada’s agreement with the decisions taken. Through NATO and its involvement in the Middle East the Liberal war government is directly embroiling Canada in war preparations in that region as well as eastern Europe and east Asia.
At the NATO meeting, the military alliance agreed to an “enhanced forward presence” in the east and a boosted “defence and deterrence” around Russia, meaning an overall buildup of troops and weaponry around Russia and China. This includes “enhanced air policing, maritime patrols and robust exercises.” NATO announced it has tripled the size of its “Response Force” to more than 40,000 troops with a new “Spearhead Force at its core.”
On the sidelines of the NATO meeting, Canada’s Minister of Defence met with U.S. Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter and also took part in a meeting of five countries training neo-Nazi “defence and security forces” in Ukraine. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which just announced it is invading Syria, also sent its Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman to Brussels where he conducted meetings with NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Secretary of Defence Carter.
An important article in TML Weekly February 13 points out, “In light of the dangerous developments which are taking place, it is important to remember that while the policies of the big powers have always played a significant role, the decisive role belongs to the working people.”
“It is important for Canadians who cherish the cause of peace to discuss these matters and make sure they do not permit the war preparations of the new Liberal government to go unopposed.”
Finance Committee Budget Hearings
The House of Commons Finance committee will begin official hearings to consult on the 2016 federal budget on February 16. Minister of Finance Bill Morneau and officials held pre-budget consultations with “stakeholders” across the country in January, and now that the Finance Committee has been established, it will hold its own hearings.
The Finance Committee has said nothing about the principles guiding the hearings or the aim of the hearings and what they hope to resolve. It invite Canadians to “share their priorities for the 2016 federal budget” but does not inform Canadians about the reality many Canadians are living. For instance, in Alberta suicides have increased by 30 per cent in 2016 which people suspect is directly linked to the loss of jobs and increasing uncertainty which accompany the deepening economic crisis, oil price wars and monopoly rule over peoples’ lives. The hearings are an occasion for private interests to lobby the government which can then justify the further anti-social measures which it will take. All of it is accompanied by a litany of phrases about how the government is listening to what is called expert opinion as well as “ordinary Canadians.”
The committee is set to hear from 89 witnesses over four days.[1] The high number of witnesses packed into the hearings indicate that a main issue the government is facing is to sort out the budget and “get the money out” quickly in the face of a deepening economic crisis.
According to a February 5 release from the Committee, witnesses were chosen on the basis of invitations extended to “selected individuals and groups to appear” but the Committee will also receive written submissions up to 2,000 words.[2]
It should be noted that no workers’ organizations representing specific sectors of the economy such as steel, mining, auto, rail or oil and gas for example who are well aware of the problems facing their sectors appear to have been invited. So far only the Canadian Labour Congress which represents Canada’s trade unions nationally is listed.
On February 12, prior to the official hearings, Minister of Finance Morneau met with a group of private-sector economists, many of whom work directly for big Canadian banks. The aim of the meetings was to “gather their views on the Canadian and global economies.”
According to the government, “private sector economic forecasts have been used as the basis for fiscal planning since 1994 and introduce an element of independence into the Government’s fiscal forecast. This practice has been supported by international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund.” The idea that economists from the largest Canadian financial institutions and the IMF, many of which hold the debts of federal and provincial governments, provide an element of independence to the government’s forecast is not a good indication for the manner in which such forecasts will be used.
A government news release quoted Morneau saying, “As we plan for the next budget, we are working to address the conditions that have led to weak growth and to the challenges that are affecting so many Canadian families today.”
Notes
1. The 32 witnesses scheduled for the two February 16 meetings are, in order of appearance:
– Roger Augustine, Regional Chief, New Brunswick / Prince Edward Island, Assembly of First Nations
– John Williamson, Vice President, Research, Atlantic Institute for Market Studies
– Finn Poschmann, President and Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Provinces Economic Council
– Daniel-Robert Gooch, President, Canadian Airports Council
– Angella MacEwen, Senior Economist, Social and Economic Policy, Canadian Labour Congress
– Glen Hodgson, Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist, Conference Board of Canada
-Thomas Mueller, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Green Building Council
– Dennis Laycraft, Executive Vice-President, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association
– Annie Bérubé, Coordinator, Green Budget Coalition
– Natan Obed, President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
– Clément Chartier, President, Métis National Council
– Steve McLellan, Chief Executive Officer, Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
– Erik Queenan, Board Chair, Canadian Alliance of Student Associations
– Janet Gray, Chapter President, Ottawa Chapter, Canadian Association of Retired Persons
– Fred Phelps, Executive Director, Canadian Association of Social Workers
– Daniel Kelly, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
– Kevin Lee, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Home Builders’ Association
– Hans Marotte, Lawyer, Mouvement Action-Chômage de Montréal
– David Macdonald, Senior Economist, National Office, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
– Warren Everson, Senior Vice-President, Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
– Deirdre Laframboise, Executive Director, Canadian Climate Forum
– Michael McSweeney, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cement Association of Canada
– Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
– Éric Forest, Mayor, City of Rimouski
– Gilles Garon, Mayor, City of Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac
– Michael Toye, Executive Director, Canadian Community Economic Development Network
– Bill Ferreira, Vice-President, Government Relations and Public Affairs, Canadian Construction Association
– Sergio Marchi, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Electricity Association
– Pascale St-Onge, Member, Tous Amis de Radio-Canada, Fédération nationale des communications
– Phil Upshall, National Executive Director, Mood Disorders Society of Canada
– Michael Wilson, Chair, Mental Health Commission of Canada
– Monika Dutt, Chair, Canadian Doctors for Medicare
2. Briefs have been received and published by the government from:
– Railway Association of Canada
– Canadian Medical Association
– Association of Canadian Port Authorities
– YWCA Canada
– Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada
– Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada
– Canadian Airports Council
– Canadian Credit Union Association
– Motorola Solutions Canada Inc.
Treasury Board’s Sleight of Hand to Achieve
Anti-Social Aims
Federal public sector workers in the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) resumed negotiations with the Treasury Board in the first week of February to secure a new collective agreement. Negotiations first began in July 2014 after the previous contract expired in June 2014. PSAC bargaining units reported that little has changed under the new government and the Treasury Board’s main focus remains attacking sick leave benefits for federal public service workers under the hoax of saving money.
The Liberal government is using its repeal of the Harper-era anti-worker legislation and its promise of “bargaining in good faith with public sector unions” and “supporting and protecting workers’ rights” to create the impression among Canadians that whatever demands it makes of public service workers are reasonable.
PSAC expressed serious concerns that the proposals of the new Liberal government attempt to achieve the same as the previous government using different means. In a statement issued February 5 reporting on the first meeting between the workers’ representatives and the treasury board since the October 19, 2015 election, PSAC noted, “In fact there was little indication of a change in approach.”
“Treasury Board negotiators tabled a proposal similar to that of the previous Conservative government, that would replace our existing sick leave plan. It takes away existing rights and leaves members worse off. The proposed short term disability plan would fall outside of the collective agreement and allow the government to make unilateral changes any time,” PSAC informed. PSAC stated that it is “open to improvements on sick leave but we will not negotiate concessions or agree to any proposal that forces members to choose between losing pay or going to work sick.”
PSAC President Robyn Benson told media, “The Liberals [made] huge promises over their campaign about bringing forward a new mandate but there was very little indication that there was going to be a change. In fact, what they tabled was similar to that of the Conservative government. There were some improvements but certainly we were looking to improvements to the sick leave and not a continuation of the short term disability program.”
Notably the Liberal government proposal removes sick leave rights from the workers’ collective agreement, which Benson called a “huge concession.” It would mean the government can make unilateral changes to workers’ sick leave at any time, the same thing the Conservatives achieved through legislation the unions pointed out was unconstitutional.
Also on February 5 the government tabled Bill C-5, which repeals Division 20 of Part 3 of the Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1. Division 20, the law authorizing the Treasury Board to establish and modify terms and conditions of employment related to the sick leave of employees who are employed in the core public administration, contradicting the procedures established in the federal Public Service Labour Relations Act. What this legislation accomplished the Liberals are trying to get from the workers “voluntarily,” PSAC says.
Treasury Board President Scott Brison referred to the government’s proposals in the House of Commons the same day, saying, “There is an opportunity to modernize sick leave benefits in a way that is fair to members of the public service in a time when we inherited a tough fiscal situation from the previous government.”
Canadians Repudiate War Preparations
Discussion Hosted by Edmonton Coalition Against War and Racism, February 29
Monday, February 29 — 7:00 p.m.
Telus Building, University of Alberta, Room 150
11104 87 Avenue
The Edmonton Coalition Against War and Racism (ECAWAR) is holding a meeting February 29 to discuss Canada’s “new mission” in Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan and the need for an anti-war government.
ECAWAR points out that during the federal election, the Trudeau Liberals presented themselves as opponents of Harper’s warmongering and extremism. They spoke about a “proud tradition of international leadership” and promised to end Canada’s combat mission in Iraq. But now Trudeau has equated withdrawal of the CF-18s from bombing with an end to the combat mission, while stepping up Canada’s involvement, including increasing the number of Canadian Special Forces on the ground. This is being done using phrases to give the impression that Canada is involved in a “peace mission” and not an aggressive mission which is in fact the case.
The Liberals accused the Harper government of turning its back on the United Nations and multilateralism. When Trudeau met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on February 11, he stated that Canada wishes to “re-engage robustly with the United Nations and in multilateral engagement around the world” including a bid for a seat on the UN Security Council.
Canadians want the government to uphold international law and work for the peaceful resolution of conflicts and ECAWAR is responding to the need for people to get together on a regular basis to exchange information and discuss ECAWAR’s stand for an anti-war government and the stand of the new Liberal government.
An anti-war government would uphold the founding principles of the United Nations which include the right of all nations, big or small to decide their own affairs and opposition to aggression by one country against another. It would withdraw Canada from all aggressive military alliances, and stand for peaceful resolution of conflict.
ECAWAR held its first public forum of 2016 on January 7. More than 70 people attended to hear speakers and to discuss the refugee crisis and its causes. The January 7 forum recognized the spirit of Canadians to welcome refugees, and in that spirit, that we must step up the work to force the government to stop creating refugees through its support for foreign intervention and regime change.
For more information, visit the Edmonton Coalition Against War and Racism (ECAWAR) Facebook Page.
Windsor Anti-War Forum Adopts Resolutions Against Canada’s Military Aggression
The Windsor Peace Coalition held a successful anti-war forum on February 3 on Canada’s role in Iraq and Syria. Community members and University of Windsor students participated in lively discussion about the role Canada is playing in Syria, Iraq and the importance of re-affirming the anti-war sentiment of the Canadian people in the face of the Liberal government’s attempts to push war in the name of peace and multilateralism.
The forum adopted the following resolutions:
1) That all Canadian military get out of West Asia and North Africa and stop violating international law;
2) That Canada stop interfering in the UN-led Syrian Peace Talks;
3) That Canada stop weapons exports.
Peace Coalition members made presentations on important questions of war and peace followed by discussion involving everyone present. The first presentation argued against Canada having any role in the U.S.-led aggression and efforts at regime change against Syria, pointing out the disastrous consequences in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Haiti during and after regime change efforts in those countries. The presenter concluded by saying Canada should stop interfering in the affairs of the Syrian people and remove itself entirely from the conflict taking place there.
The second presentation provided information on the meetings of the U.S.-led global coalition against ISIS in Rome in which Canada participated. Both presentations highlighted the importance of opposing the aims of Canada’s participation for regime change, and pointed out that based on this aim Canada’s actions are not consistent with the aspirations of the people for peace and respect for the rights of all nations to decide their own destiny.
During that discussion, everyone gave views on the matter and provided more information expressing the views and concerns of Canadians. The principled sentiment of everyone who spoke was that Canada had no business intervening militarily in Iraq, Syria or anywhere else in the region and the government should immediately stop its combat mission in Iraq and Syria. In that regard the discussion among the Canadian people is far different from the debate in the Parliament which is based on how best to interfere in Syria and enforce regime change.
