News & Events Archived Newsletters CONTACT 2007 June 15, 2007CAW Supports First Nations National Day of Action
On June 29, First Nations peoples and supporters will take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations, calling on government to take steps to eradicate First Nations poverty. A rally in Ottawa will take place as part of the National Day of Action, which was called for by the Assembly of First Nations in December.
CAW President Buzz Hargrove will be marching along side National Chief Phil Fontaine who will be leading the rally with First Nations children, youth and elders. "The National Day of Action is an opportunity for all Canadians to join with First Nations people in peaceful rallies and events," said Hargrove. He is encouraging all CAW members to attend wherever possible. "Your participation will make a difference as we stand with the First Nations to help them win the justice and security they so rightly deserve."
Joining with the Assembly of First Nations, the CAW demands the federal government work to improve the living conditions of First Nations people by ending First Nations poverty and establishing peaceful resolves to land claim issues.
Currently, one in four First Nations children live in poverty and more than one third of First Nations households with children are overcrowded. Nearly one in 30 First Nations peoples live in homes without running hot or cold water or flushing toilets. As recently as June 2006, the Canadian government voted against adopting the United Nations Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
For more information on the National Day of Action, visit the Assembly of First Nations website at: www.afn.ca/NDA.htm
Manufacturing Suffers Further Job Loss
National employment statistics released by Statistics Canada continue to present a disturbing job outlook for the manufacturing sector.
"The loss of 12,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector last month alone highlights the need for immediate federal government action to prevent the further loss of these good-paying jobs and the devastation this is creating in communities across the country," said CAW President Buzz Hargrove. In April, Canada lost an additional 19,000 manufacturing jobs.
The rosy jobs outlook painted by some is misleading because many of the jobs created last month, according to Statistics Canada, are self-employed jobs - large numbers of which are tentative, without benefits, pensions and decent pay.
"The high Canadian dollar, unfair one-way trade deals and the lack of federal government action to deal with the crisis are combining to create a perfect storm in the manufacturing sector," said Hargrove.
'The federal government must take immediate steps to stop the accelerating loss of more than 270,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector in the last five years alone,' said Hargrove.
Government Action Needed on Shipbuilding
Conservative MP Peter MacKay's recent news release announcing a renewed federal shipbuilding approach is simply confirmation of old policy, the CAW says.
"It falls far short of fixing the real problems facing the shipbuilding industry," said CAW national representative Les Holloway.
MacKay's announcement of $50 million funding for the Structured Financing Facility (SFF) over three years does not address the program's fundamental flaw that domestic ship owners and shipbuilders cannot use the program without opting out of the Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance (ACCA). Industry stakeholders insist the two programs be combined to encourage the building of domestic ships in Canadian shipyards.
The Minister refers to the 'Buy Canada Policy' and procurement projects for the coastguard and navy, which are confirmations of existing policies first announced by the former federal Liberal government.
Stakeholders across the country have repeatedly outlined initiatives and policies that would allow the industry to compete and create thousands of Canadian shipbuilding jobs.
The shipbuilding industry can't exist on government procurement alone, Holloway said. Nor can it remain capable of meeting Canada's sovereignty and defence requirements without a real commitment from the federal government.
With the federal government moving to finalize trade agreements with South Korea and the European Free Trade Association, the federal government's response to the shipbuilding industry is "disappointing to say the least."
Canada's shipbuilding industry will be disadvantaged even further due to a lack of action by MacKay and the Conservative government, Holloway said.
"This announcement is a feeble approach of wanting to make it look like their government is doing something when it is not," Holloway said.
Mobilizing Aboriginal and Workers of Colour
More than 90 CAW members from across Canada attended an Aboriginal and Workers of Colour conference in Port Elgin, Ontario, June 1-3 with the theme 'Strategize and Mobilize-Build Our Power.'
The conference included workshops and presentations on the importance of organizing workers of colour into the union and was host to several guest speakers including Carol Phillips, assistant to CAW President Buzz Hargrove, who opened the evening plenary.
Other speakers included Grace Edward Galabuzi from Ryerson University who spoke about the need to organize workplaces where the most precarious jobs are held by aboriginal, workers of colour and women. 'In unionized workplaces, job security is greater and conditions are better,' said Galabuzi.
Jojo Geronimo, Executive Director for the Labour Education Centre who gave an overview of the economy and globalization and how to build power in the union and the community.
Lindsay Bomberry from Six Nations, Ontario, ended the conference with an update on the unresolved land claims at Six Nations. 'You cannot have peace without justice,' said Bomberry, speaking of an 'element of unity' within her community in the last year as they organized to stand together in this time of crisis.
Building a Youth Movement
Youth have an important role in revitalizing the union and continuing struggles for better working conditions and a just society. CAW Youth (defined as age 30 and younger) from across the country are encouraged to participate in this year's CAW Youth Conference, October 26-28 at the Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, Ontario. Conference details and registration packages have been sent to CAW local unions.
The conference will explore how to integrate youth perspectives into CAW priorities, developing leadership skills, new Youth-to-Youth campaigns and strategizing on ways to include youth input on the future of the union. Don't miss this excellent opportunity to build alliances with working young people across the country.
All registration forms must be sent to the Family Education Centre by October 4, 2007.
For more information, contact Shannon Devine, CAW Communications Department: 1-800-268-5763 ext 544 or Shannon.Devine@caw.ca
Your Family Paycheque: Is It Keeping Pace?
The old saying 'the rich get richer and the poor get poorer' is continually proving to be true.
While the incomes of Ontario's richest families have soared, half of the province's families with children have seen their financial well-being idle or even fall behind compared to a decade ago, according to a study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). The study also reveals that the widening gap between Ontario's richest and poorest has outpaced that of the rest of the nation.
The CCPA reports that 40 per cent of Ontario's families with children - more than 600,000 households - have seen little or no gains in their income for the past 30 years, despite being better educated and working longer hours. The report also revealed that the richest 10 per cent of families raising children earned 75 times the amount of the poorest 10 per cent.
The study's author, Armine Yalnizyan, believes this is not just a story of income disparity and poverty, but about affordability. More than anything else, stagnant incomes affect where you can afford to live. This in turn has an effect on how much you can eat, how much you can save, and what else you can do with a stagnant income.
The CAW is a member organization of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
CONTACT Summer Schedule
With the arrival of summer, the CAW's CONTACT newsletter moves to publication every two weeks. Enjoy a fun and safe summer and watch for the return of CONTACT on a weekly basis in September.
Over the summer, remember to check the CAW's website at
