Canada Post Fiasco
I am always impressed by how governments manage to turn public opinion in the face of all logic.
The Postal Workers were holding rotating strikes to put pressure on the Canada Post, a Crown Corporation, to put a better offer on the table. Canada post was determined, in collective bargaining to undermine pension benefits. While I might have missed the odd day’s delivery, I was pretty much getting regular mail delivery.
Canada Post then locked their employees out. The mail stopped. The Government then expressed concern about the stoppage.
Instead of telling Canada Post to lift the lock-out the government brought in legislation and after a NDP filibuster delayed the passing for some time, the legislation passed and the mail will move again on Tuesday.
Canada Post is legendary for their bad industrial relations record. The government has just rewarded Canada Post's bad behaviour by forcing workers back on the job, something they would have done willingly, just not for every day.
Listening to the debate around the dispute I was disappointed to hear some Canadians rise to support the Harper Government’s reaction. On the face of it no one will admit voting for these guys but too many are pretty eager to buy the Harper “For the good of the economy” argument hook, line and sinker.
I don't object to legislating Postal Workers back to work after a strike has actually begun to have a real effect on the economy but when they are locked out by the same government that controls the legislative agenda. That is another thing.
The Ugly Canadian
It’s an old story. Foreign companies come into a developing nation bring with them the promise of hard cash for a struggling government.
Resources are exploited, people are displaced and a way of life ruined all in the name of the economic good the benefit of which few but government officials and local businessmen ever see.
This time it is Peru and the companies are Canadian. Some are familiar, some not. I am sure there are good guys and bad guys although it is tough to sort out who is who. The list includes Barrick Gold, HudBay Minerals, Bear Creek Mining, Sukkiden, First Quantum and others.
The locals say that farmland is being destroyed, water polluted and although the government may be seeing an increase in revenue, local people have yet to see benefit from the operations. No schools, no good hospitals, no new roads.
Protests have become ugly and the government in response has revoked the mining rights from at least one Canadian Company, Bear Creek. In typical corporate bully boy fashion, the company says they will sue under the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement.
Hands up now, everyone who knew there was one.
Always There For a Laugh
Those of us who read the Regina Leader Post can always find a couple of things to post fun at.
In Monday’s edition of the paper lived up to expectations.
There is a special feature about what entertainers who are coming to Saskatchewan this summer. Reading about k.d. lang in this morning’s paper my breakfast partner pointed out that the reporter must not have been paying attention at J-School when they talked about, the backbone of any story, the 5 W’s.
Jeff Dedekker somehow managed to leave out the When, Where and the Why. For those who may be confused, k.d. lang is playing the Regina Folk Festival in Victoria Park, downtown Regina, August 6th at 10:45
We were also quite mystified by the headline, “On Line Dating Linked to Rise in STDs”
Frankly it defies imagination.
