IWA supports NDP in the upcoming federal election Now that a federal election is right around the corner, its time for IWA- CANADA members to consider their options. In this year’s federal election, like all others for the past three decades, our union supports the New Democratic Party of Canada. IWA National President Gerry Stoney says that, as the election date gets down to the wire, it’s time for the union's membership to think seriously about the next four or five years of federal government rule and remem- ber the last five years. For workers everywhere there have been tough economic times under the policies of the Mulroney government. Brother Stoney says that a Kim Campbell government is no different than the Mulroney government before. Some faces have changed but the agenda is the same under Campbell's leadership. Workers should realize that Kim Campbell is running on the Conservative party's record of the last nine years which is a record of every increasing unemployment. “People have to look at what the alternatives are in this federal elec- tion,” says Brother Stoney. “We can continue to have a Conservative gov- ernment which has delivered us free trade and an official unemployment rate of 11.5% or we can vote for the New Democrats who have a full- employment job strategy.” (See story below). Stoney says that the Liberal Party is no alternative for working people because “history has taught us that.” He also warns that the federal Liberals have taken a stand against logging in the Clayoquot Sound. The Liberals have proposed to make a fed- eral park out of the Clayoquot Sound area which would create further prob- lems for IWA members in B.C. © “The Liberals will do or say whatev- er they have to in order to get elect- ed,” says Brother Stoney. “They are political opportunists who don’t have |” the interests of workers in mind.” He also reminds IWA members of the Trudeau Liberal governments wage and price control policy of 1976 which effectively stole away the unions’ rights to negotiate. The only credible alternative for labour is the NDP, says Brother Stoney who says the party’s track record on federal labour issues is the only one that unions can support. “New Democrats have been with us on the steps of parliaments, on the picket line, and in the House of Commons,” says Stoney. “There is no other federal party which has done so much for workers.” The pro-labour policies of the Federal NDP include the following positions. e. support of amending the federal labour code to ban the use of scabs. ° workers wage protection legisla- tion in cases of bankruptcy. e “whistle blower” legislation to allow workers to speak out against an employer’s illegal or unethical con- duct without fear of losing jobs. © pay equity legislation (equal pay for work of equal value) for all federal sector workers. e protection for workers from Federal NDP leader Audrey McLaughlin, a friend of the labour movement, was a greeted at the IWA’s National Convention in 1992 by union president Gerry Stoney. “creeping tech change” to ensure that jobs are protected and workers re- trained. Worker training is an important part of the NDP’s economic recovery strategy. The NDP vows to work with business, labour, along with provin- cial and territorial governments to get a national work force training pro- gram worth $7 billion a year. The NDP’s plan proposes a refund- able training levy phased in over the term of the next parliament which would get employers with 10 or more workers to pay into the fund. Companies that set up their own labour-management training commit- tee would be able to avoid the levy because ever dollar they spent on training would be reduced from the levy. Sectoral councils consisting of labour and management would design guidelines and provide services for the training program. Brother Stoney says that IWA mem- bers would benefit from NDP policies and programs and should support the NDP at the polls during this federal election. He says that realistically the NDP will not likely form government but could be very influential in holding the balance of power in a minority government situation. Balance the books by creating jobs by Joy Langan, MP Labour Critic for Canada’s New Democrats New Democrats and our partners in the labour movement have always been proud of what makes us differ- ent from other political parties. We are committed to change. We propose new ways of thinking about our coun- try, confronting its problems and proposing solutions. Above all, we are comunitted to policies and programs that put Canadians and their families first. Canadian working families have paid a high price for the failed eco- nomic policies of the last decade. Successive Liberal and Conservative governments have Jed Canada into a downward spiral of poorer jobs, high- er taxes and declining service. Instead of uniting us in our strengths, our gov- ermments have pushed Canada into a vicious cycle of industrial decline and igh unemployment. ° NDP Labour critic Joy Langan joins Audrey at anti-NAFTA rally. work, people who are forced to work part-time, and people who have given up looking for work - is about 20 per- cent. The costs of that kind of unem- ployment are astronomical. The best way to balance our coun- try’s books is to achieve full employ- ment for our citizens. That is the basis of the New Democrats’ jobs plan “Strategy for a Full Employment Economy” released earlier this year by our leader, Audrey McLaughlin. To control the deficit we must first understand the real causes of it — high unemployment, an unfair tax sys- tem, and bad trade deals that kill jobs. There is an alternative. Canada’s New Democrats have a plan to create 500,000 jobs in Canada over the next five years without increasing the deficit. When people are working, they are paying taxes and helping the economy grow. Jobs must be the Government of Canada’s number one priority. Audrey McLaughlin and the New Democrats have a strategy for putting people to work in every region of our country. For New Democrats, a full employment strategy means that all of the federal government’s economic initiatives - managing interest rates and the dollar, dealing with trading partners, investing in new businesses and innovation, and helping workers retrain - must be guided by the objec- tive of reaching full employment. New Democrats want to help build an economy that serves the interest of working people. The newspapers have said we are having a “jobless recoy- ery.” For New Democrats a jobless recovery is no recovery at all. To build an economy that works for people, we must start to undo the damage inflicted by nine years of Conservative government. Eliminating the Conservative trade deals and the GST are two important steps in rebuilding our economy. The New Democratic Party is the only federal party that has committed to doing this, and we are the only party that has a plan. Under our plan the Conservative “Free Trade” will be replaced with a fair trade strategy, and the development of new trade links with countries other than the U.S. Phasing LUMBERWORKER/SEPTEMBER, 1993/3 out the GST, combined with other tax measures, will create over 50,000 jobs and provide more tax fairness to low- and middle-income Canadians. Here are some other highlights of the New Democrats’ economic plan: e A National Infrastructure Program that will create 130,000 jobs, while rebuilding infrastructure such as roads, highways and sewers to meet the challenges of the 21st centu- ry. e A National Child Care Program that would provide 70,000 jobs and care for 600,000 Canadian children. This will open up opportunities for both work and training for the chil- dren’s parents. e A National Investment Fund that will create up to 200,000 jobs through investment in innovative, Canadian- owned and based businesses. e A focus on education, training and research and development to help Canadians work smarter to meet the challenges of a global economy. Canadians want governments to make good jobs for Canadians their first priority. Audrey McLaughlin and the New Democrats will continue to speak out for Canadians and demand an economic strategy that puts jobs first. Canada’s New Democrats have put forward a detailed, workable plan to reduce unemployment and generate good, useful jobs for the future, while reducing the deficit. We know that we can transform our workplaces and our economy for the better; and we can decide that those changes will put “people first”. We would like to share our proposals with you and hear your comments. If you would like to receive a copy of the New Democrat's Strategy for Full Employment Economy, call 1-800-361-6637.