President's New Year's Message

-Darlene Dziewit, MFL President

One of the tasks of my job that I have most enjoyed is writing the Manitoba Federation of Labour's New Year Greeting message each year. Getting the message right means that I must stop and reflect on the past year, as well as what it has meant to those of us in the labour movement.

This year, it has been difficult to reconcile the events of 2006 with a message of peace, hope and optimism. Our troops are dying in Afghanistan, sent there by the same uncaring, mean-spirited government that has wrought so much else that is negative on its own people, especially the poor and powerless in our society here at home.

Our country is divided on so many fronts. Canadians cannot agree on the nature of our confederation. Nor can we agree on how to help in the misnamed "war against terrorism", which is nothing more than a crass political shell game. Our country is divided on social issues and taxation. What, if anything, unites us?

I have come to the conclusion that the labour movement is a beacon of light in this difficult time. We have tackled the tough issues. We have debated and come to consensus on many of them. And where we could not reach consensus, we have remained respectful of others' positions. This is our way.

It is this way of ours that gives me hope for the coming year. As long as there is a free, democratic labour movement in Canada, the forces of the right will not be able to succeed. We will not, cannot let them succeed.

2007 will bring the labour movement the challenge of pulling our members together, along with our political allies, in order to craft the kind of Canada we want. Federally, we will almost certainly have an election.

Our current prime minister, Stephen Harper, has a vision of this country that I do not believe he has fully revealed, since to do so, would make him highly unpopular, I suspect. And the recently ousted Liberals would like us to believe that only they can save Canada. After all, they have a new leader.

Big deal - new leader, same problem. Every time the Liberals are in opposition, they talk like the NDP. After they are elected they govern from the right. After all, if the Liberals had legislated and implemented a national child care program, Harper could not have dismantled what was there so easily. And for all their bluster on supporting federal anti-scab legislation, the Liberals had years to bring it into law. Why only now are they having a conversion?

The list of Liberal flip flops and reasons not to trust them just goes on and on. We need more New Democrats in the House of Commons. And we need them there not just to be a conscience, but to make change, just like they have been doing for the last two governments by pushing the Martin Liberals on a progressive budget and fighting for a national child care program and anti-scab legislation.

Here in Manitoba, there will most likely be a provincial election in 2007. The labour movement will have a challenge here, as well. We need to ensure the reelection of Gary Doer and his NDP Government for an unprecedented third term.

Manitoba, under the NDP has led the way in Canada as an innovative and consensus building government with changes in legislation, from workers compensation to employment standards to health and safety to the Labour Relations Act to a 'No Sweat' Ethical Procurement policy. They have moved the rights of working Manitobans forward, step by step. We are an example to others in this country.

This coming year the Manitoba Federation of Labour will work with our affiliates to get the word out to our 96,000 members. We cannot afford to go backwards. We need to continue to be united in our goals, both on the National stage, and right here in Manitoba.

Let us celebrate the coming of 2007. And let's ensure that we are successful in keeping our members safe from the harm of anti-union, anti-worker political agendas.

Happy New Year and let's get ready to begin the work.