¢ ILW.A. CANADA National President Gerry Stoney said that federal government and several provincial governments are out to ruin the country's social programs in their deficit fighting hysteria. Stoney slams right-wing governments in address At this year’s annual convention of I.W.A. CANADA, hosted by Locals 1-424 and 1-425 and held in Prince George between October 2-5, Na- tional union president Gerry Stoney’s opening ad- dress took aim at Jean Chretien’s federal gover- ment and several provincial governments. Brother Stoney slammed the federal govern- ment for promising jobs before they were elected and delivering more unemployment after it. He added that the government is having its entire agenda manipulated by hysteria over debt and deficit. Canada’s national safety net of universal health care, unemployment insurance, and education are what ties the country together and Stoney said the federal government is not defending those pro- He said that the government is not making it easy for working people to defend the country when these programs are being weakened. Turning to the provinces, the national union leader said that both Alberta and Ontario are prime examples of where unions are being desta- bilized. “Delegates should ask the delegates from Local 1-207 in Alberta to describe what it’s like to be a trade union in a province where the provincial government has just initiated a fast track consulta- tion on how best to incorporate right-to-work prin- cipals in their current legislation. With the stroke of a pen (Alberta Premier) Ralph Klein wants to catapult trade unions back into the 1930s.” Stoney pointed to the Conservative government of Mike Harris in Ontario as an example of what working people should be against. He said that the Harris government is “sending shock waves throught that province with his re- lentless and systematic bashing of every single progressive measure that was put in place to help working people.” Stoney said the government is cutting employ- ment standards, health care funding, education, employee wage protection plan and occupational health and safety programs. He added that the Harris government is eliminating consultation with the labour movement on important economic and social initiatives in the province. “Essentially Mr. Harris has told the labour movement in Ontario to get lost,” said Stoney. “He doesn’t think government should listen to unions. And just to make sure that when labour is exclud- ed from these discussions, that we don’t have any effective way to show our dissatisfaction, Mr. Har- ris is proceeding with a massive overhaul of the Ontario Labour Code.” Stoney reminded the delegates that during the provincial election in Ontario this summer the labour movement was badly divided on its support for the NDP. “When the labour movement in Ontario started to fight internally over their support for Bob Rae’s NDP government, the winner was big business.” He then also reminded delegates similar infight- ing within the labour movement helped bring down an NDP government in B.C. in 1975. The NDP government of Dave Barrett lost the election by default to a right-wing coalition called the So- cial Credit party. He said that the delegates should be aware that the B.C. Liberals, led by Gordon Campbell are waiting to pounce on the labour movement if they get elected. “Are we as trade unionists going to trash the government either directly or indirectly so that Gordon Campbell and the Liberals can have a go at us?” asked Stoney. A Campbell government would scrap the cur- rent Labour Code which prohibits scabs and pro- tects unions’ rights to organize. He has also vot- ed thumbs down to Forest Renewal B.C. “He (Campbell) doesn’t believe in that kind of pro- gram, and that means the forest sector in British Columbia loses the long-term commitment that we need.” Stoney also said that the B.C. Reform Party could share power with the Liberals. “We would have two parties trying to do one an- other out for wackiness on the right, coming out with new ways to shut out labour and shut down organizing,” said the speaker. eel Legislative resolutions pass convention vote FULL EMPLOYMENT - the I.W.A. demands that the federal government pursue a policy of full em- ployment with good wages, job security and ac- cess to collective bargaining for all. JOB CREATION IN SASKATCHEWAN - the union will remind the NDP government of Saskatchewan that it has made a commitment to job creation as its priority. HEALTH CARE - the union goes on record in its opposition to federal government cutbacks in health care and any two-tiered system which will reduce services to Canadians. TREATMENT CENTRES - the union will call upon provincial governments to build treatment centres for people with alcohol, chemical and oth- er dependencies. EXPORT OF RAW LOGS AND CANTS - the IW.A. reaffirms it complete and unalterable oppo- sition to the export of raw logs and cants both from provincial and federal lands and will contin- ue with publicity campaigns to educate the public on the issue. FOREST LAND REMOVALS - private forest land should not be rezoned or sold off until all previous tax breaks are repaid to reflect the applied for new value. The union will lobby provincial and federal governments. CUBIC METRE CUT - the convention passed a resolution that all provincial governments enact legislation to tie wood volume cut to union jobs. RETIREMENT AGE - in conjunction with the fed- erations of labour and the CLC, the I-W.A. will lob- by the federal government to maintain the age of entitlement for both Old Age Security federal pen- sion benefits and Canada Pension Plan benefits at 65 years of age. CANADA PENSION - the union will lobby the federal government to ensure that the Canada Pen- sion Plan is not decimated in the future. WEEKLY INDEMNITY CHEQUES - the I.W.A._ will petition the federal government to stop the unjust taxation of weekly indemnity cheques. TAXES AND BENEFITS - the union calls upon the federal and provincial government not to in- crease current taxes and cease taxing benefit packages. CANADIAN CAPITAL GAINS TAX - the federal government will be lobbied by the union to ensure that foreign investors pay capital gains to Canada for use of our natural resources. DEFERRED TAXES - the federal government will be petitioned to collect a major portion of the de- ferred taxes owed to it by corporations and will be asked to cease tax deferrals in the future. GOODS AND SERVICE TAX - the union de- mands that the federal government abolish any form of GST and institute a fair, progressive in- come tax structure while demanding that corpora- tions pay their fair share and the feds collect de- ferred taxes. UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE - the conven- tion demanded that the federal government stop its policy of attacking the unemployed and poor and repeal unreasonable ‘ies on people who quit or are fired and that their UIC benefits and levels be restored. BENEFITS TO SEASONAL WORKERS - the union will press government to prevent any Continued on page 10/LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER, 1995-