Tories Kill Business/Labour Cooperative Effort

At the same time they reported a huge surplus in the Federal budget, Stephen Harper's Tories announced major budget cuts. What they chose to cut says a lot about their priorities. Cuts included programs to improve adult literacy, assist First Nations people, and a program that involved the Manitoba Federation Labour that was designed to bring labour and business groups together to foster better relations between the two.

The Workplace Partners Panel Task Force, a project of the Canadian Labour and Business Centre (CLBC), previously operated on the East Coast and in Saskatchewan and was to get underway in Manitoba in October (read original announcement). It was to have been chaired by MFL President Darlene Dziewit and a business person. The government cut all funding for the project.

"I cannot believe that the Federal Government would cut funding to a group that has done nothing but good work", Dziewit said. "It has been a beacon of light showing how business and organized labour can work in cooperation for the good of Canada. To cut the funding is mean spirited, short sighted and just plain stupid."

The federal budget cuts killed not only the Workplace Partners Panel Task Force, but the CLBC itself. That organization was Canada's longest standing business and labour forum, which included the full participation of the provinces, territories, education organizations, and the federal government. Since 1984, CLBC has been Canada's only on-going national forum for partnership and dialogue on labour market and skills issues.

Throughout CLBC's 22-year history, it was recognized for its balanced and inclusive approach. Whether exploring human resource issues in different sectors of the economy, analyzing new workplace arrangements, or surveying private and public sector leaders about their policy priorities and practices, the Centre engaged all parties constructively.

This collaborative and inclusive approach was a keystone of the Workplace Partners Panel initiative, which was developed in consultation with the federal government, and whose purpose was to enable business and labour to take a leadership role in addressing Canada's labour market and skills challenges. In its first year of operation, the WPP completed task forces in Atlantic Canada and Saskatchewan, which involved the input and participation of hundreds of individuals and organizations. The Manitoba task force had been scheduled to launch in October.