"Gearing" up for tomorrow's Rally

Yes, I went out and bought a bunch of rain ponchos in case we need them for tomorrow's rally. Now we are all "geared" up... get it?

What I have come to discover in the past few days talking with hundreds of people about this rally, about mobilizing, about calling their MPs regarding this campaign is that a lot of people didn't have the slightest clue this was happening.

Even those who received information did not read it. I spent many hours on the phone explaining to people just how this bill (as is) will effect them.

For the general public... this affects you -

EI - there are proposed changes to Employment Insurance in this bill. Some of it is positive, but people applying for Employment Insurance will be faced with longer waiting periods and many people will be found "not to qualify" even though they have spent years paying into the fund.

When Stats Canada has projected that there will be 250,000 jobs lost in Canada in the next 9 months, we need an Employment Insurance program that is comprehensive and streamlined when people need it most.

Women's Pay Equity - this is one of the most baffling pieces of all to me. Why is this in the budget implementation bill? What does this HUMAN RIGHT have to do with money? This is just another attempt from Harper's Conservatives to further deteriorate women's rights and down play women's issues. Remember the drastic cuts to the Status of Women offices when he first took the reigns?

And the Liberal MPs I spoke to today, they said they have to support the Bill so the budget will pass. Yes I understand that, to stimulate the economy, etc.

But when I asked them why they couldn't recommend that these issues be taken out of the bill they responded that if it wasn't a confidence issue they would but it's a budget bill and if you vote against it we go to an election and they don't want that.

I asked again why women had to take a hit on this, and they responded that when they are in "leadership" they will fix it... so in the meantime we are to take a giant leap back?

I'm sorry Liberals... this doesn't cut it with me. It appears to me that the Liberals may be more concerned with buying time to gain popularity (Mr. Ignatieff) before entering into an election because they want a majority. So in the meantime they are not willing to ask or fight to take these important issues out of Bill C-10.

The final of the 3 concerns has to do with wage roll backs and the right to free collective bargaining. A few years back some 300,000 civil servants ratified a collective agreement with the employer. Bill C-10 will see these "legally" binding contracts broken and roll back on the agreed wage increases that these employees fought, negotiated and signed off on.

The bill will also toss out pay studies that shows that the Technical Services (TC) group is grossly underpaid in comparison with the private sector. Even though the TC group voted to go through the Arbitration process, it seems that Bill C-10 will do nothing for any monetary gains the TC group may have been awarded through an arbitrator.

My spin on things as I see them. All opinions are mine and mine alone. Any organizations I am affiliated with may not necessarily share my views and interpretations, however this is how I see it.

Our opposition to Bill C-10 in a nutshell. Don't forget to come out to the rally on Saturday, February 28th, 2009 at noon in front of the Westin Nova Scotian Hotel in Halifax, NS (beside the train station). Come find me... I'll have a rain coat for you!