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Canada

By KIMBALL CARIOU
Facing the heat over growing poverty in
Saskatchewan, the Devine government has
finally taken some action. But activists

_ familiar with the issue say more is needed.

After getting a green light from the
Chamber of Commerce to raise the provin-
ce’s minimum wage by 50 cents, the Tories
have announced a two-stage increase, from
$4.50 an hour now, to $4.75 on Jan. 1, 1990
and a further five cents on July 1. The only
previous increase since the Tories took
office in 1982 was a 25-cent per hour hike in
1985. In total, it will mean the minimum
wage has gone up less than 18 per cent over
eight years, while the cost of living will have
jumped about 35 per cent.

Labour, women’s groups, and _anti-
poverty campaigners had lobbied hard fora
larger increase, especially since a recent Reg-
ina task force proved that one city resident
in five (including one in four children) lives
below the poverty line, and that many peo-
ple are going hungry.

Some activists, like local food bank direc-
tor Ed Bloos, called the move “‘a step in the
right direction.” Others, such as Saskat-
chewan Action Committee on the Status of
Women spokesperson Susan Dusel, pointed
out that the increase is too small to move
many single-parent women out of poverty.
Dusel voiced the opinion of many, saying
that her group feels “cynical” about the
announcement’s timing, shortly before a
provincial election widely expected next
spring.

Even the Regina Leader Post said the

increase was “overly long in coming,” and
noted that the poverty line for single earners
in major cities is now $13,414 annually.
That’s more than $3,000 over the $10,400
an employee would earn working full-time
at $5 per hour.

While the minimum wage move was
taken by former social services minister
Grant Schmidt (now responsible for labour
and employment), his successor at that post
was announcing plans to put social workers
into inner-city schools where child hunger is
widespread. Bill Neudorf says the new pro-
gram will pay salaries for four workers, two
each in Regina and Saskatoon, to “counsel
needy families” facing food, clothing and
shelter problems. But while observers
agreed the program means the Tories have
finally been forced to recognize officially
that poverty is a reality, few were cheering.

Theresa Stevenson, executive director of
Regina Native Community Awareness, has
led efforts in recent years to start hot lunch
programs in schools. Her blunt response
was that the $130,000 Neudorf plan could
“buy a lot of chili and soup.” She and others
are angered by the Tory position that pov-
erty and hunger result from people “not
knowing how to shop properly.”

Yet another school lunch program is
about to start up in Regina, this time in the
city’s Cathedral area. So far, anti-poverty
workers in the capital city of “Canada’s
breadbasket” are not convinced the provin-
cial government intends to tackle the prob-
lem seriously.

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A key role for labour
as NDP changes leader

The recent New Democratic Party
convention confounded the pundits who
had predicted a dull event. Quite the con-
trary, it proved to be not only exciting,
but running with currents and cross-
currents that will be the subject of debate
in the trade union and peoples’ move-
ments for some time.

Pre-occupied with a leadership race,
delegates fretted over several candidates
who, while on the surface appearing to
hold the same policy positions, repres-
ented deep cleavages in thinking on
social democracy as it enters the 1990s.

One current, represented by the Dave
Barrett campaign, wants to maintain the
party status quo. In terms of today’s
politics that means that the NDP is the
coalition; it exclusively represents the
mass movements. On the other hand, the
movements are limited to lending elec-
toral support during campaigns.

LABOUR
iN ACTION

With a scathing attack on the Tories,
Barrett sought to reinforce the idea that
Dave Barrett is needed now in parlia-
ment; he has the experience to hammer
the Tories, and trade unionists would do
well to support him.

The other main current, represented
primarily by the Audrey McLaughlin
campaign, was that she, if elected, would
reach out to work with the new coalition
movements. That current stressed that
what was needed was a “national” vision
and a new direction for the NDP.

Although there was concern over
McLaughlin’s inexperience and vagu-
eness on policy, delegates were impressed
by her ability to learn, and to reach out to
the different forces fighting for change.

Also explaining McLaughlin’s appeal
was skepticism that Barrett would
reduce the NDP to a regional party, and
given his views on Quebec, undermine
the party’s chances in French Canada.

The McLaughlin forces relied heavily
on the backing of feminists in and out of
the trade union movement.

Their highly organized campaign
drew in much of the national leadership
of the trade union movement, including

both Steel’s Leo Gerard and Bob White
of the Canadian Auto Workers.

Both these trade union leaders had
written scathing letters attacking the
NDP’s performance in the last federal
election campaign, and had called for a
greater role for labour in the party. It was
in sharp contrast with the views many in
the old NDP establishment who sug-
gested it was time for more distance
between the NDP and labour.

In my view, the election of McLaugh-
lin will likely mean more labour input
into the NDP. The debate within the
trade union movement in the coming
months will be how to use this increased
responsibility.

This convention was notable and dif-
ferent for the active role which the trade
unions took, as they declined to behave
like a monolithic block with votes locked
up even before arriving.

Most women delegates ended up in
the McLaughlin camp, with the excep-
tion of Canadian Labour Congress pres-
ident Shirley Carr and vice-president
Nancy Riche. Riche initially supported
Steve Langdon, but on the last ballot
threw her support to Dave Barrett.

Shirley Carr dumfounded everyone.
After not supporting anyone throughout
the campaign and three ballots, she
waited until the final vote, when the issue
had virtually been decided, before declar-
ing for Barrett.

Whatever prompted her to take this
mental leave of absence, delegates and
viewers could only speculate.

Her actions not only confounded
most of the trade union leadership and
delegates, but also outraged the Barrett
supporters who criticized Carr for com-
ing to the campaign too late to affect the
outcome.

The convention also raises a number
of questions for the labour movement
and the left in Canada.

Can the trade union movement con-
tinue to risk having a leader who appears
to be opposed to a woman leading its
political arm?

At the same time, can the CLC presi-
dent be seen to be out of step with the
new direction of the NDP?

While the left in the trade union
movement should welcome the results of
the NDP convention as an important
event in Canadian politics and congratu-
late the new leader, it should be aware of
her policy deficiencies, and help to over-
come them.

Key to this process will be labour fight-
ing the neo-conservative agenda in co-
operation with the coalition movement.
In that way, the NDP will be able to
carry out a directional change and move
on to new victories.

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Season’s Greetings
from
United Brotherhood of Carpenters
Local 452

CENTENNIAL YEAR

1990

“100 years of building

Vancouver.”

Pacific Tribune, December 18, 1989 « 9