The National Council of Unemployed Workers (NCUW) is concerned about the potential election of a Conservative government in Ottawa.
“This would mean the end of the project of an Employment Insurance reform,” said Pierre Céré, spokesperson for the NCUW. “Moreover, there would likely be many setbacks for the program, as was the case with all previous Conservative governments, especially under Stephen Harper. The possibility of going back to a failing and struggling employment insurance program, the one we have known since the 1990s, is an option that must be ruled out.”
THE CONSERVATIVES: SMOKE AND MIRRORS
“On the one hand, there is Dr. Erin, the one who appeals to workers and says he wants to defend labour unions. But if you scratch a bit, you quickly find Mr. O’Toole,” continued Pierre Céré.
“Indeed, Erin O’Toole has spoken out against using the CERB to deal with the COVID-19 crisis.[1] In debate, he said he wanted to reduce spending, which means a return to austerity policies, which does not mean anything good for the social safety net.[2] Let’s not fall for this.”
“Seriously, how can we believe the Conservatives on their promise to extend sickness benefits? The proposal was already supported by civil society and the parliamentary opposition when the Conservatives were in power and Mr. O’Toole, MP, then minister, was sitting alongside those who trashed the EI program. We cannot trust these people,” added the spokesperson.
“A PLAN” FOR SELF-EMPLOYED WORKERS?
The National Council of Unemployed Workers also denounces the vagueness maintained by the Conservatives on their proposal to cover “self-employed” workers under the federal social safety net.[3]
“Self-employed workers, over 15% of the Canadian workforce, need to be able to be covered by Employment Insurance. However, the Conservative proposal seems to confuse, at least in French, self-employment and gig-economy, which is only part of it,” said Pierre Céré.
“But it gets worse: this proposal for gig workers is unacceptable. O’Toole repeats again and again that he has a plan. A plan that is very similar to the proposals of Uber itself, that is currently lobbying various North American governments to change regulations and labor standards, to the detriment of workers.”[4]
“Even more worrying, Erin O’Toole’s director of policy Dan Mader, who helped draft the platform, also acted as a lobbyist for Uber.[5] The business model of these companies is based on loopholes in tax rules and labor standards, trapping their workers in precariousness. At the very moment when it is crucial to strengthen our social safety net, let’s not put the fox to guard the henhouse! », added the spokesperson.
The conservative platform also offers a convoluted crisis formula for raising the benefit rate, while remaining silent on coverage, sanctions, protections and the necessary consultation with Indigenous communities.
“It is for all these reasons, and more, that the NCUW is saying no to the Conservatives,” concluded Pierre Céré.
A STRONG PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
The National Council of Unemployed Workers (NCUW, Conseil national des chômeurs et chômeuses) launched last August a campaign as a registered third party with Elections Canada, calling for a permanent and in-depth reform of the Employment Insurance (EI) program, in order to ensure better protections for workers. The NCUW will campaign throughout the election period, with thousands of signs and other advertising tools, in print and digital media.
The NCUW posted video clips
featuring Alain Deneault, Stanley Péan, Katsitsentha Diabo, Lorraine Pintal,
Marie-Ève Patry and Pierre Céré. These clips are available on the campaign’s
web page, at www.lecnc.com/vrai (in French, except for Katsitsentha Diabo)
[1] https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/12/03/otoole-takes-aim-at-liberals-and-cerb-for-endangering-canadas-work-ethic.html
[2] https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/09/02/en-direct-federales-2021-suivez-le-face-a-face-de-tva
[3] https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1819548/travailleurs-autonomes-prestations-assurance-emploi–pension-cotisations
[4] https://pressprogress.ca/erin-otooles-plan-for-gig-workers-was-carbon-copied-from-ubers-corporate-lobbyists/?s=01
[5] https://pressprogress.ca/erin-otooles-plan-for-gig-workers-was-carbon-copied-from-ubers-corporate-lobbyists/?s=01