I have reserved posting on the NAFTA talks to this point as I'm still very skeptical as to whether the Trudeau team are genuinely working for the average Canadians best interest.
And as I've posted elsewhere before my skepticism is well earned......
The only time I ever voted liberal was when Chretien was waving his red book around saying he would tear up NAFTA
The specificity of the promises made in the Red Book was both its strength and its weakness. They have certainly facilitated a debate on the extent to which the Liberals met all the commitments they made. In 1996 the Liberals published A Record of Achievement: A Report on the Liberal Government’s 36 Months in Office, which provided a update on the Liberal Government’s actions in implementing the Red Book. The most contentious promises are those relating to the GST and the NAFTA. The critics claim that the Liberals promised to scrap the GST and tear up the NAFTA, whereas the Liberals (other than Sheila Copps who, honouring what she mistakenly thought was the promise, resigned to run in a by-election over the issue) hold up their efforts to achieve a harmonized sales tax and the NAFTA side agreements they reached on labour and environmental standards. Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder. And, as an economist, there is little I add to this partisan debate, other than to say that it has occurred with much more information thanks to the Red Book.
http://global-economics.ca/redbook.htm
Canadian negotiators are demanding the United States roll back so-called "right to work" laws – accused of gutting unions in some U.S. states by starving them of money – as part of the renegotiation of the North American free-trade agreement. The request is part of a push by Ottawa to get the U.S. and Mexico to adopt higher labour standards under the deal.
Mexico, meanwhile, is campaigning to include its oil and gas sector in the deal.
These major moves on the labour and energy files came over the weekend at the second round of NAFTA renegotiations in Mexico City.
One group of negotiators spent all day Sunday working on the labour file, according to a schedule of the talks obtained by The Globe and Mail. One source familiar with the discussions said Canada wants the United States to pass a federal law stopping state governments from enacting right-to-work legislation; the source said the United States has not agreed to such a request. Canada believes that lower labour standards in the United States and Mexico, including right to work, give those countries an unfair advantage in attracting jobs.
Jerry Dias, the leader of Canada's largest private-sector trade union, said Ottawa's negotiators are: pushing Mexico on its corporate-sanctioned unions, which are accused of negotiating collective agreements unfavourable to workers; agitating for both countries to offer a year of paid family leave, as Canada does; and targeting American right-to-work laws that allow workers in unionized shops to refuse to pay dues, draining money from unions.
"I'm very pleased with the position the Canadian government is taking on labour standards," Mr. Dias, president of Unifor, told reporters outside the talks. "Canada's got two problems: The low wage rates in Mexico and the right-to-work states in the United States."
Mr. Dias, whose union represents a broad swath of occupations from auto makers to paperworkers, met on Sunday with Canada's chief NAFTA negotiator, Steve Verheul, and members of the team working on labour matters. He argued lax labour standards in the other two NAFTA countries are bleeding jobs out of Canada.
Another major, if significantly less controversial, subject at talks was Mexico's desire to enshrine its newly-opened energy market in NAFTA. When the deal was originally signed in 1994, oil and gas in the country was under a government-run monopoly. President Enrique Pena Nieto, however, has begun welcoming private foreign investment. Now, Mexico wants these open market rules written into NAFTA to ensure they are not rolled back by a future government.
Kenneth Smith Ramos, Mexico's chief negotiator, told reporters Saturday that his country wanted "mechanisms that allow us to integrate ourselves in a positive way in the energy sector" in order to "reflect the reform Mexico established."
more
https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/ne...e36160015/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured unionized Canadian workers on Thursday they'll be getting a NAFTA deal they can be proud of.
Trudeau put a positive spin on the negotiations as he addressed the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada national council convention in Montreal.
"This modernization has been a long time coming and we're going to get a fair deal for Canadian workers," he told several hundred union members.
He repeated several times the agreement is in need of an update, and pointed out labour groups are "well-represented" on Canada's NAFTA council, which is led by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Canada's priorities include increasing protection for workers and the environment, he said.
"Together, we're going to land an agreement people in this room and across the country can be proud of," he told the audience.
Trudeau's 15-minute address painted his government as a friend of the labour movement, citing measures including such as the new Canada child benefit, higher taxes on the wealthiest one per cent and measures to help youth employment.
"The bottom line is, after years of neglect, organized labour finally has a strong partner in Ottawa, and we will not let you down," Trudeau said to a standing ovation from members.
The national president of the organization said Trudeau has taken steps to improve the relationship between the federal government and labour groups.
Paul Meinema said the prime minister appeared willing to listen to the concerns of labour groups and had followed through on some promises, including taking steps to repeal two controversial Stephen Harper-era bills the group saw as anti-union.
Meinema said the union wants to work with the government on the NAFTA file, which could have an impact on many of its members, particularly those working in the poultry and dairy sectors.
"We hope to continue to influence and continue to have discussions and ensure workers' rights are front and centre in those discussions," he said in an interview.
The union, which represents some 250,000 workers across the country, has urged the federal government to protect Canada's supply management system during the talks.
Meinema said it would be wrong to see Thursday's standing ovation as a sign Trudeau is winning over the organized labour vote, which has long been the NDP's traditional base.
"Our people received the prime minister graciously because he is the prime minster, he was an invited guest at our convention," he said.
"He was received with enthusiasm because we've never had a prime minister accept our invitation before."
Meinema madeit clear the organization isn't reconsidering its support of the NDP, noting its leader, Tom Mulcair also delivered an equally well-received speech.
"It would be a discussion that we would have to have at our collective meetings, but at this point we are supporters of the New Democratic Party," he said.
The labour group has said it will support Ontario legislature member Jagmeet Singh in that party's leadership contest.
Trudeau promises unionized workers a NAFTA deal they can be proud of | CTV News
And as I've posted elsewhere before my skepticism is well earned......
The only time I ever voted liberal was when Chretien was waving his red book around saying he would tear up NAFTA
The specificity of the promises made in the Red Book was both its strength and its weakness. They have certainly facilitated a debate on the extent to which the Liberals met all the commitments they made. In 1996 the Liberals published A Record of Achievement: A Report on the Liberal Government’s 36 Months in Office, which provided a update on the Liberal Government’s actions in implementing the Red Book. The most contentious promises are those relating to the GST and the NAFTA. The critics claim that the Liberals promised to scrap the GST and tear up the NAFTA, whereas the Liberals (other than Sheila Copps who, honouring what she mistakenly thought was the promise, resigned to run in a by-election over the issue) hold up their efforts to achieve a harmonized sales tax and the NAFTA side agreements they reached on labour and environmental standards. Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder. And, as an economist, there is little I add to this partisan debate, other than to say that it has occurred with much more information thanks to the Red Book.
http://global-economics.ca/redbook.htm
Canadian negotiators are demanding the United States roll back so-called "right to work" laws – accused of gutting unions in some U.S. states by starving them of money – as part of the renegotiation of the North American free-trade agreement. The request is part of a push by Ottawa to get the U.S. and Mexico to adopt higher labour standards under the deal.
Mexico, meanwhile, is campaigning to include its oil and gas sector in the deal.
These major moves on the labour and energy files came over the weekend at the second round of NAFTA renegotiations in Mexico City.
One group of negotiators spent all day Sunday working on the labour file, according to a schedule of the talks obtained by The Globe and Mail. One source familiar with the discussions said Canada wants the United States to pass a federal law stopping state governments from enacting right-to-work legislation; the source said the United States has not agreed to such a request. Canada believes that lower labour standards in the United States and Mexico, including right to work, give those countries an unfair advantage in attracting jobs.
Jerry Dias, the leader of Canada's largest private-sector trade union, said Ottawa's negotiators are: pushing Mexico on its corporate-sanctioned unions, which are accused of negotiating collective agreements unfavourable to workers; agitating for both countries to offer a year of paid family leave, as Canada does; and targeting American right-to-work laws that allow workers in unionized shops to refuse to pay dues, draining money from unions.
"I'm very pleased with the position the Canadian government is taking on labour standards," Mr. Dias, president of Unifor, told reporters outside the talks. "Canada's got two problems: The low wage rates in Mexico and the right-to-work states in the United States."
Mr. Dias, whose union represents a broad swath of occupations from auto makers to paperworkers, met on Sunday with Canada's chief NAFTA negotiator, Steve Verheul, and members of the team working on labour matters. He argued lax labour standards in the other two NAFTA countries are bleeding jobs out of Canada.
Another major, if significantly less controversial, subject at talks was Mexico's desire to enshrine its newly-opened energy market in NAFTA. When the deal was originally signed in 1994, oil and gas in the country was under a government-run monopoly. President Enrique Pena Nieto, however, has begun welcoming private foreign investment. Now, Mexico wants these open market rules written into NAFTA to ensure they are not rolled back by a future government.
Kenneth Smith Ramos, Mexico's chief negotiator, told reporters Saturday that his country wanted "mechanisms that allow us to integrate ourselves in a positive way in the energy sector" in order to "reflect the reform Mexico established."
more
https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/ne...e36160015/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured unionized Canadian workers on Thursday they'll be getting a NAFTA deal they can be proud of.
Trudeau put a positive spin on the negotiations as he addressed the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada national council convention in Montreal.
"This modernization has been a long time coming and we're going to get a fair deal for Canadian workers," he told several hundred union members.
He repeated several times the agreement is in need of an update, and pointed out labour groups are "well-represented" on Canada's NAFTA council, which is led by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Canada's priorities include increasing protection for workers and the environment, he said.
"Together, we're going to land an agreement people in this room and across the country can be proud of," he told the audience.
Trudeau's 15-minute address painted his government as a friend of the labour movement, citing measures including such as the new Canada child benefit, higher taxes on the wealthiest one per cent and measures to help youth employment.
"The bottom line is, after years of neglect, organized labour finally has a strong partner in Ottawa, and we will not let you down," Trudeau said to a standing ovation from members.
The national president of the organization said Trudeau has taken steps to improve the relationship between the federal government and labour groups.
Paul Meinema said the prime minister appeared willing to listen to the concerns of labour groups and had followed through on some promises, including taking steps to repeal two controversial Stephen Harper-era bills the group saw as anti-union.
Meinema said the union wants to work with the government on the NAFTA file, which could have an impact on many of its members, particularly those working in the poultry and dairy sectors.
"We hope to continue to influence and continue to have discussions and ensure workers' rights are front and centre in those discussions," he said in an interview.
The union, which represents some 250,000 workers across the country, has urged the federal government to protect Canada's supply management system during the talks.
Meinema said it would be wrong to see Thursday's standing ovation as a sign Trudeau is winning over the organized labour vote, which has long been the NDP's traditional base.
"Our people received the prime minister graciously because he is the prime minster, he was an invited guest at our convention," he said.
"He was received with enthusiasm because we've never had a prime minister accept our invitation before."
Meinema madeit clear the organization isn't reconsidering its support of the NDP, noting its leader, Tom Mulcair also delivered an equally well-received speech.
"It would be a discussion that we would have to have at our collective meetings, but at this point we are supporters of the New Democratic Party," he said.
The labour group has said it will support Ontario legislature member Jagmeet Singh in that party's leadership contest.
Trudeau promises unionized workers a NAFTA deal they can be proud of | CTV News
