Protect Our Pensions!
Working people have the right to retire from their job with dignity and security.
Today, that right is under threat.
The global financial crisis has wreaked havoc on our economy. Not only has the recession resulted in hundreds of thousands of lost jobs, it threatens the funding and future viability of workers' pensions.
The CAW Pension Charter states that all Canadians must be able to comfortably enjoy their retirement, and a decent standard of living without risk of poverty. Governments must do everything in their power to protect all pensions. Since they set the funding rules for both public and private pension plans, they must also guarantee a safety net for those faced with insufficient funding.
The Ontario government has indicated its Pension Benefit Guarantee Fund is ill-equipped to handle the pension shortfall suffered by workers in the face of major corporate bankruptcies in the province and hasn't committed to backstopping the fund to cover its pension obligations.
Workers need protection now! Let the provincial government know that pensions must be protected!
Free trade with the European Union is a bad idea for Canada
The Harper government's relentless push to sign a new Canada-EU free trade deal would undermine the rights of federal, provincial and municipal governments to manage public spending over goods and services; it would privatize public services like drinking water, prevent us from adopting strong measures to combat climate change and wipe out up to 150,000 Canadian jobs, among a long list of additional concerns. CAW President Ken Lewenza says:
So far, all signs point to a free trade deal that is lopsided, unfair and would do more harm than good to Canadians. 
