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| Canada's Federal Election - October, 2015 |
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Canada's 42nd Federal Election took place on Monday, October 19, 2015. ARTICLES:
VIDEOS:
Excerpt from The Hotline (July, 2015 isue), your union member news magazine: Government - the group of people we elect to administer our municipalities, our province and our country. One would think being able to vote on who makes up your government is an important decision as these people can have such a direct impact on you, your family, your community, your work and your finances. We live in country that affords us the luxury of being able to actively participate in choosing these people who govern us by our right to vote. Your right to vote is not something that should be cast aside, or become a victim of indifference. As they say, if you don’t use your vote, bad things happen, including bad politicians getting elected. When you vote for a candidate from a political party that ultimately forms government, and then that government sticks it to you with bad legislation and harmful policies and does it in a way that’s cloaked in secrecy and shrouded in confusion, and they don’t do anything to move you, your family and your community ahead, you have every right to vote them out the next time the chance comes around - like this fall with Canada’s federal election. The facts show us the Harper government has done nothing to help our members and hard-working Canadians across this country. In fact they have done just the opposite – they have instituted and fought hard to put forward harmful agendas that attack labour unions AND our individual members; they’ve forced unfair back-to-work legislation on thousands of workers; have beat up on public sector workers by firing them and trying to break their contracts; destroyed health & safety regulations at the federal level and repealed fair wages and hours of work laws. And they brought us both Bill C-377 and Bill C-525, supported by strong anti-union forces with the intent of destroying the rights of labour unions and their members in Canada. What we have faced since the last federal election pales in comparison to what the Conservative agenda has planned to continue the attack on Canada’s labour movement if they are re-elected as a majority government. So what can you do about it? Well, first, is knowing that election day is Monday, October 19th. Second, you have to make every effort you can to vote. The whole exercise of having an election is based on you marking your ballot one way or the other for a candidate from a political party (unless that candidate is independent) who wants to be your Member of Parliament. Make sure you’re on the voter’s list as there have been changes made by the Conservative government as to who is eligible to vote in Canada. Elections Canada is the oversight body and you need to make certain your name is on their list, especially if you’ve moved since the last federal election in 2011. Elections Canada has also changed the boundaries, and the names, of almost every federal riding in BC. If you’re used to going to one place to vote, that may be changing as you find yourself in a new riding. Our website at www.ibew258.bc.ca has all the information and links to this important information - sign up today and have a look at the maps and the new riding boundaries and names - you may be surprised. For some of you, the biggest question with this election may be, ‘how do I know who to vote for’? Ultimately, it’s up to you to make that decision. Some of you may already know exactly who you’re going to vote for, or vote against! You may want to make a list of your important issues and then simply pick up the phone or send an email, or even go to a campaign office and speak with the candidate themselves and see if their ideas line up with yours. When it comes to determining your future, a strong future that supports you and your family - be it at work through voting for a new contract or as a Canadian who gets to vote to choose their government - you are the only person who can do it. As a union member, you know our strength lies in working together, and if you don’t participate, everyone is affected. British Columbia MPs elected in the 2015 Federal Election NORTHERN BC Cariboo-Prince George Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies Skeena-Bulkley Valley SOUTHERN BC Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Kelowna-Lake Country Kootenay-Columbia North Okanagan-Shuswap South Okanagan-West Kootenay VANCOUVER ISLAND Courtenay-Alberni Cowichan-Malahat-Langford Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke Nanaimo-Ladysmith North Island-Powell River Saanich-Gulf Islands Victoria LOWER MAINLAND/FRASER VALLEY Abbotsford Burnaby North-Seymour Burnaby South Chilliwack-Hope Cloverdale-Langley City Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam Delta Fleetwood-Port Kells Langley-Aldergrove Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon New Westminster-Burnaby North Vancouver Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge Port Moody-Coquitlam Richmond Centre South Surrey-White Rock Steveston-Richmond East Surrey Centre Surrey-Newton Vancouver Centre Vancouver East Vancouver Granville Vancouver Kingsway Vancouver Quadra Vancouver South West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country Is it time for change? Federal Election 2015 From The Hotline (July, 2015), your Union members news magazine Have you taken a look at your pay slip lately? With direct deposit in place for so many Canadians, you might not be paying close attention to how much of your hard earned paycheque is being sent to Ottawa to pay taxes so you can get, in return, good public services, retirement security with your contributions to the Canada Pension Plan and employment insurance benefits if you need them. Are you satisfied that government policies and legislation are being put forward that are really in your family’s, your community’s and your best interests? You get to make your choice that reflects what you want by voting to stay the course or to make change in what’s being called one of the most important elections in Canada’s recent history, taking place on October 19th. The election campaigns for Canada’s three major parties are now underway and it’s looking like there will be some hard fought battles and all kinds of promises being made. If you’re like about 90% of Canadians, you might pay some attention to some of the issues on the campaign trail, as you can bet there will be many clever schemes that all the political parties are going to be directing at you to gain your attention and your vote. But the bigger question may be, why should I vote? Taxes are a big deal and with 48 to 50% of the federal government’s revenue coming from your personal taxes, your responsibility should include making your best effort to determine the important issues that matter to you and then exercise your right to vote in this federal election. Your vote will help determine who the people will be who get to spend your hard-earned tax dollars and make the decisions, policies and legislation that directly or indirectly affects your future. You pay for public services with your taxes - are you getting what you need? With job cuts there’s fewer workers providing less of these important essential services – but your taxes haven’t decreased. Is this what you’ve been asking for? Is it time for change? You pay for health care with your taxes - are you satisfied the health care system is being properly funded? Even though the provincial government pays the health care bills, a lot of that funding comes, by law, in the form of transfers from the federal government. Provinces like BC have been and will continue to receive fewer dollars from the federal government as it abdicates it’s responsibilities to contribute their fair share to our valued public health care system. Is this what you’ve asked for? Is it time for change? You pay for your Canada Pension, and other seniors benefits, with your taxes. Is the government doing their best to ensure your pension and these benefits will be there when you need to access them? Has the federal government created policies and legislation that secures your retirement, or are you left feeling very nervous about what the future will be like when you finish your work life? Will you be living in poverty as many are now? Is this what you asked for? Is it time for change? You pay employment insurance premiums so you can access those benefits and assistance if you’re laid off - are the EI benefits and services going to be available when you need them? Has this government ensured those funds have been kept exclusively for your use when you need them? Or has this government taken that money and spent it on something else? Is this what you asked for? Is it time for change? And what about your kids - has the government been spending money, creating policies and legislation to help you with the costs of raising your kids? Do you think your kids are going to have the same or better opportunities when they grow up? Has this government created policies and legislation that puts your family and your kids’ future first? Or are you being hoodwinked with cheques in the mail that say, “here’s some money to help you afford to raise your kids” and then takes it all away come tax time. Is this what you asked for? Is it time for change? As an IBEW member who is reading this article published in the July 2015 issue of your Union’s member magazine, The Hotline, we encourage you to consider what’s important for you when making your decision to vote in Canada’s 42nd federal election taking place on October 19th, 2015. Put down the remote and vote! Message from IVP Bill Daniels, IBEW First District (Canada) Enough with the excuses folks, exercise your right to vote and play a role in shaping our future. This fall – and throughout the year – we are all busy with work, or maybe the golf course is calling or your daughter has a soccer game. Why should you make voting a priority? While that is a question everyone has to answer for themselves, consider this: if you care about your future, about what your future holds for your family and friends, one of the most important factors is what kind of Canada we live in, what kind of country we create. Will there be work? An affordable place to live? Safe streets, clean air and water? Will there by daycare and schools for all of our kids? Will there be affordable access to doctors, nurses, drugs and hospitals when we need them? Will we be able to retire in dignity, after working for a lifetime? Will we be able to take care of the most vulnerable in our society? Will we fight to improve the quality of life in Canada and keep the Canada that I grew up in? These are all things we can’t achieve on our own. We need a functioning government, and the choice of who runs the government matters. The current federal government has led an onslaught of attacks against the labour movement through various forms of back-to-work legislation, trampling worker’s rights, and watering down health and safety measures. These attacks have been hidden in omnibus budget bills or disguised as private members bills – like Bill C-377 and C-525 – all the while being directed by the Prime Minister’s Office. If the Conservatives obtain a majority government in the upcoming election, we can expect, with certainty, more of these types of attacks. The IBEW is non-partisan and we strive to work with all political parties, regardless of their stripe. However, these attacks on the labour movement have provoked us to take action. Our intention is not to tell our members how to vote, but to encourage them to vote – and all Canadians – to vote for a candidate that will best represent their interests as members of the IBEW, and help protect their values as a skilled worker and union member. Engaging people in politics is a difficult task. Many people are politically apathetic. In the majority of provincial and federal elections, nearly 40% of eligible voters do not vote, while between 60-70% of eligible voters do not cast a ballot in municipal elections. Shockingly, in some areas, the number of those who vote can be as low as 5-10%. Regardless of your political stripe, our country is at a crossroads for many reasons. You should have a say. Get informed. Get out and vote. Whatever the outcome the morning after election day, rest assured it will affect you. People around the world stage uprisings and go to war in order to maintain or gain the right to vote. People like having a say and democracy allows this to happen. So regardless of where your political views lie, democracy and exercising your right to vote is something everyone should do on October 19th. Become educated on the different parties and what they stand for. No party or candidate will fit perfectly with everything you believe, but there will be one that is the best fit for you overall. Your vote can make a difference. To get the tools you need to make an informed decision and to learn about where the parties stand on key federal election issues, check out www.LetsBuildCanada.ca. In solidarity, Time off work to vote in a Federal Election From the Elections Canada website: Question: Am I allowed time off work to vote? Answer: By law, qualified electors must have three consecutive hours to cast their vote on election day. If your hours of work do not allow for three consecutive hours to vote, your employer must give you time off. For example, if you live in a riding where voting hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and you usually work from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., your hours of work will not allow three consecutive hours for voting. To give you three consecutive hours to vote, your employer could allow you to arrive late (at 12:30 p.m.), let you leave early (at 6:30 p.m.), or give you three hours off at some point during the work day. Your employer has the right to decide when the time off will be given. This rule may not apply if you work in the transportation industry. Question: Are all employers required to give time off work to vote? Answer: Yes, the law applies to all employers. However, for employers in the transportation industry, the obligation to provide three consecutive hours off to vote does not apply if these four conditions are met:
Question: Who decides when employees may take time off work? Answer: Your employer has the right to decide when in the day to give this time off. Question: Can an employee lose pay for taking time off to vote? Answer: No. Employers cannot impose a penalty or deduct pay from an employee who is taking time off to vote if required by the Canada Elections Act. An employee must be paid what he or she would have earned during the time allowed off for voting. Question: Is there a penalty for employers who do not give employees time off to vote? Answer: Yes. It is an offence for employers to fail to provide time off for voting if required under the Canada Elections Act. It is also an offence for an employer to reduce an employee's pay where the employee has been provided time off to vote in accordance with the Act. The maximum penalty for violating these prohibitions is a fine of up to $1,000, three months imprisonment, or both. It is also an offence for an employer to use intimidation, undue influence, or any other means to interfere with the granting of time off to vote under the Canada Elections Act. The maximum penalty for violating this provision is a fine of up to $5,000, five years imprisonment, or both. IBEW Canada's National Political Action Committee gears up for Federal Election 2015 From the March 2015 issue of the Hotline, your Union member magazine With a federal election scheduled to take place on Monday, October 19th of this year, many of you have already seen or heard a number of announcements and promises by political parties and their leaders that traditionally signal an election campaign is underway. From the increase in government advertising to hot button and wedge issues* being promoted by the parties competing for your vote, Canadians will be listening, watching and making their decisions later this year and, hopefully, voting for a candidate or party that best represents what is important to them and their families. As workers belonging to a Union, there are many issues affecting us that have captured headlines since Stephen Harper was first sworn in as Prime Minister in early 2006. And not all, in fact, none of them, have provided any benefit to Canadian workers, and especially workers who enjoy the benefits of union membership. Many of the policies and legislation the Harper Conservative government has brought forward have the goal of driving down workers’ wages, eliminating good family-supporting jobs, and weakening labour Unions. The Harper Conservatives are directly responsible for the loss of thousands of public sector jobs in Canada - public sector jobs that you pay for with your taxes that are now gone or about to be gone. Services that you still pay for are no longer being provided as jobs have been slashed. From the expansion of the Temporary Foreign Workers program and the resulting loss of jobs for Canadian workers, to the passing of Bill C-525 that changes the rules for workers in federally regulated industries to join a Union, to the introduction of Bill C-377 (twice, as it failed the first time!) that proposes to open the Union books to the public and to those companies that are strongly anti-union, it appears the Conservative government under Stephen Harper has not been a friend to the working people of Canada. The IBEW First District, representing our membership in Canada, established a National Political Action Committee (PAC) at the All Canada Progress Meeting that took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2012. The goal of the PAC is to provide leadership through educating, motivating and mobilizing all IBEW members to participate in the national political process in Canada to improve the life of our members, their families and all Canadians. Brother Doug McKay, Business Manager of Local 258 IBEW, is a member of the committee representing Western Canada, with First District International Vice President Bill Daniels sitting as Chair and Brother Matt Wayland, IBEW First District Political Action/Media Strategist serving as Secretary-Treasurer. International First District Rep Laird Cronk also serves on the Western Canada Committee. The Committee has been meeting on a regular basis since 2012 and have developed a strategic plan that includes a PAC Toolkit to be rolled out to all IBEW Locals in Canada in the near future. The tool kit can be used by IBEW members who take an added interest in this year’s federal election and who would like to help reflect the determination, strength and commitment of our Brotherhood to support and elect candidates in the upcoming federal election who show they will work to improve the lives of workers and their families in Canada. VIDEOS: See what IBEW Leaders in Canada are saying about the 2015 Federal Election |
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