LGBTQ groups demand Japan adopt equal rights law by G-7



TOKYO (AP) — Japanese LGBTQ people and rights groups condemned a recent discriminatory remark by a senior aide of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, demanding his government enact laws to ban discrimination against sexual minorities, legalize same-sex marriage and guarantee equal rights before Japan hosts a Group of Seven summit in May.

Their comments at a news conference Tuesday followed remarks last week by Kishida aide Masayoshi Arai, who was fired after telling reporters he wouldn't want to live next to LGBTQ people and that citizens would flee Japan if same-sex marriage was allowed.

Despite Kishida's quick dismissal of Arai, a comment the prime minister made earlier last week raised questions about his intentions toward sexual minorities.

Responding to an opposition lawmaker’s question in parliament, Kishida said whether to allow same-sex marriage is “an issue that must be examined extremely carefully.” A decision requires a thorough examination of all of society “because the issue may change the concept of family and values as well as society," he said.

At Tuesday's news conference, LGBTQ activists and their supporters said while Arai's remarks displayed outright prejudice against sexual minorities, Kishida's equivocal comments suggested his reluctance to tackle the issue despite his earlier pledge to create an inclusive and diverse society.

“Discriminatory remarks by the prime minister's aide made it clear to the rest of the world that Japan is a country that does not care about the rights of sexual minorities," said Takako Uesugi, a lawyer and director of Marriage For All Japan, an organization campaigning for legalization of same-sex marriage.

Noting that Japan is the only member of the Group of Seven advanced industrialized nations that lacks a law protecting the rights of sexual minorities, she said, “We must say Japan is not fit to lead the G-7 summit if we leave the situation unaddressed."

They demanded the government immediately begin the process of legalizing same-sex marriage, establish a working team to study ways to guarantee the rights of sexual minorities, appoint an aide to the prime minister who specializes in sexual minorities' rights, and include statistics of same-sex couples in the national census.

Support for sexual diversity has grown slowly in Japan and legal protections are still lacking for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. They often face discrimination at school, work and at home, causing many to hide their sexual identities.

In recent years, more than 200 local municipalities, including Tokyo, have introduced certificates of partnerships for same-sex couples allowing them to rent apartments and sign documents in medical emergencies, and for inheritance. Still, the certificates are not legally binding and same-sex couples are often barred from visiting each other in the hospital and from getting access to other services available to married couples.

Campaigns for equal rights for sexual minorities have faced resistance from conservatives in Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing Liberal Democratic Party. An attempt to enact an equality awareness promotion law ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics was quashed by the party.

Amid national outrage over Arai's remarks, the party's secretary general, Toshimitsu Motegi, said he planned to start preparing for legislation to promote awareness of LGBTQ rights, but some conservatives have already shown resistance. A group of non-partisan lawmakers also said they hope to enact an equality law by the G-7 summit.

The activists noted Japan signed the G-7 Elmau summit communique in June which calls for “full, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls in all their diversity as well as LGBTIQ+ persons in politics, economics, education and all other spheres of society.”

“Kishida's lack of effort to establish legal protection is tantamount to promoting discrimination,” said Soshi Matsuoka, an activist who launched an online petition for laws promoting anti-discrimination and equality rights that has received more than 40,000 signatures since Sunday.

Tue, February 7, 2023

Stories of the Land explores human connections with natural world

Tue, February 7, 2023

Indigenous, scientific and artistic connections to the land converged in a cultural learning circle at artsPlace last week, sparking meaningful discussion about the future of the planet and our role in caring for it.

Stories of the Land provided a unique opportunity for cross- culture and disciplinary collaboration between Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation members, Bow Valley-based scientists and environmentalists, and the arts community. The event explored the history, diverse perspectives and knowledge systems surrounding peoples’ connection to the earth, as well as the importance of working together as a force for good toward conservation.

“We have to coexist with each other as people, those who came from across the pond and within our own Nations as well,” said Îyârhe Nakoda member Travis Rider and Indigenous liaison at artsPlace. “We also need to learn how to better coexist with the four-legged and live in harmony with nature.”

Rider was joined by Cory Beaver, Terry and Margaret Rider and others who spoke of traditional knowledge and the spiritual significance of the land to Îyârhe Nakoda First Nation, emphasizing the reciprocal relationship between Indigenous people and the earth, as well as the responsibility to care for and protect the land for future generations.

“Part of being able to coexist is understanding what that word means to Indigenous peoples,” said Rider. “We’re talking about the land, the animals. … We also have to keep in mind our children and grandchildren.

“You have to look down your family line and what you see [in nature] is what they also have to see.”

For Beaver, understanding the land, the way the ecosystem functions and the issues it faces is inherent to feeling connected to it. Beaver’s ancestors were some of the original stewards of the environment surrounding Chuwapchîchiyan Kudebi (Canmore). They followed animal migration patterns, controlled wildlife populations through hunting, and tracked weather systems to camp and navigate within the landscape before having their movements restricted by reservations.

“The way those that came before us understood these things, it was all interconnected through the way a plant grows, the way the trees stand and the river flows,” said Beaver.

While some park conservation plans are changing to now include Indigenous consultation – including Banff National Park – colonial ways of thinking have taken over conservation efforts following the introduction of national and provincial parks across Canada.

Over the last 30 years, ecologist John Paczkowski has observed many changes in wildlife populations and behaviours as a large predator expert in the Bow Valley.

“I remember coming here and it was a lot more common to see wolves around Canmore and the kills they were making,” said Paczkowski. “We had collared wolves and were tracking them, and they’re quite a rarity now coming through Canmore.

“It’s sort of heartbreaking.”

Cooler temperatures throughout the Bow Valley late into last year’s spring season led to crops of fewer berries, resulting in bears seeking out other sources of food in town, including garbage.

“They were interacting more with people and getting into trouble,” said Paczkowski. “It makes you reflect on the impacts that we’re having on the landscape here, whether it’s fire suppression or just taking up more of that habitat.

“Over the years I’ve been able to see that change and what it means to the bears and how they behave, how they react.”

Last year, a mamma black bear and her three cubs were relocated to an area west of Caroline in mid-September after they bolted into a downtown Canmore restaurant and accessed bags of brown sugar.

The bears were eventually euthanized when the sow and two of her cubs returned to Canmore by early October, where they were reported to have been feasting on garbage in a downtown dumpster and sleeping in backyards over a period of several nights. The third cub was believed to have died on the difficult and lengthy journey back to town.

The circle discussion, which was organized in partnership between artsPlace, the Banff Canmore Community Foundation (BCCF) and the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley, stressed the need for collaboration between traditional knowledge and science to make informed decisions about the future of the environment if humans are to coexist with wildlife while going a step further allowing native species to flourish.

“I would wish that in 200, 300, or 400 years, that there’s still bears moving through this valley and that there will still be an ecosystem that functions to support the natural world as I know it now, or maybe as it was in the past,” said Paczkowski. “An ecosystem that’s not just hanging on by its claws, but flourishing.”

As discussions continued into the evening, artist Laurelle Birk encouraged attendees to step into the circle and add various harvested elements, including pinecones, grasses, berries and branches to a land-based mandala design growing on the floor.

The mandala, separated into four quadrants, not unlike many Indigenous representations of a medicine wheel, was a powerful visual representation of some of the deep connections humans have with the natural world and the need for a relationship which achieves balance and harmony.

The event was seeded in the collaborative work of Moving Mountains, a BCCF initiative in partnership with the Town of Canmore and the Town of Banff that is taking a regional, Bow Valley-wide approach to strengthening civil society across communities in the region.

Moving Mountains is hoping to host the same session in Mînî Thnî (Morley) and out on the land in Kananaskis Country in upcoming months. For more information, visit banffcamorecf.org/programs-events/moving-mountains.

Jessica Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook

National reconciliation day to become September statutory holiday in B.C.



VICTORIA — The British Columbia government introduced legislation Tuesday to make Sept. 30 a statutory holiday to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a recognition that Labour Minister Harry Bains said will provide opportunities to hold annual commemoration events similar to Remembrance Day.

Bains introduced a bill in the legislature, saying the holiday will be observed this year and every Sept. 30 afterwards.

The B.C. holiday follows the federal government's decision in 2021 to declare Sept. 30 a national truth and reconciliation holiday for its workers.

"I'm proud and humbled to be part of what I consider a historic step as a British Columbian," said Bains at a news conference following the introduction of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Act.

"This day provides an annual opportunity for people to learn about our colonial history and how it has impacted Indigenous communities, and to participate in commemorative events in a way similar to Remembrance Day," he said.

Those ceremonies are held across Canada every Nov. 11 to honour the sacrifices of the casualties of war and military members who serve the country.

"Reconciliation is about each and every one of us," Bains said. "All British Columbians and Canadians have a role to play. This new statutory holiday in B.C. will allow more people to get involved in advancing reconciliation."

He said all workers in B.C. will be covered by the province's Employment Standards Act and will be entitled to a paid day off every Sept. 30.

Prior to the introduction of the act, business, labour, Indigenous and social groups were consulted about a new statutory holiday, Bains said.

Bains told the legislature the government's decision on the holiday is in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call to action No. 80, which requested the federal government establish a holiday to honour residential school survivors, their families and communities.

B.C. will join Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon and Canada as jurisdictions that have already designated Sept. 30 as a statutory holiday, if the legislation passes. New Brunswick has made the day a provincial holiday but says it's optional for the private sector.

Murray Rankin, B.C.'s Indigenous relations and reconciliation minister, said the holiday will provide opportunities for people to understand and reflect on a time in Canada's history when children were forced to attend schools that stripped them of their culture and caused emotional and physical harm.

"I can say we will all recall the shock, the sadness, the anger that followed the findings at the Kamloops residential school," he said. "Many Indigenous children suffered physical, emotional, psychological and sexual abuse at these institutions, and sadly many Indigenous children died at them."

Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation reported in May 2021 the discovery by ground-penetrating radar of what were believed to be possible remains of more than 200 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

Similar reports of possible remains at residential school sites at former institutions across Canada have been made since the Kamloops discovery.

The Kamloops residential school operated between 1890 and 1969, when the federal government took over operations from the Catholic Church and ran it as a day school until it closed in 1978.

A 4,000-page report by the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission released in 2015 detailed harsh mistreatment at the schools, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children, and at least 4,100 deaths at the institutions.

The report cited records of at least 51 children dying at the Kamloops school between 1914 and 1963. Health officials in 1918 believed children at the school were not being adequately fed, leading to malnutrition, the report noted.

"This is the heavy truth of our history that we must confront as British Columbians and as Canadians," Rankin said. "Reconciliation is a process of healing relationships. It requires public truth telling, apology, commemoration that acknowledges and seeks to address past harms."

He said B.C. has a responsibility to remember the children who never came home and honour residential school survivors.

Phyllis Webstad said she was "humbled and honoured" that her Orange Shirt Day campaigns have become part of the Sept. 30 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Webstad started wearing an orange shirt on Sept. 30 to mark her first day of school as a child. She said residential school administrators took away her clothes, including her new orange shirt.

She said the statutory holiday ensures people no longer have an excuse "to not know what happened to us."

Premier David Eby says his government is taking the important step to enshrine the day in law to acknowledge the wrongdoings of the past, and to take meaningful action toward reconciliation.

"Many British Columbians have been marking Orange Shirt Day with humility, respect and reflection in their own way for years," says Eby in a statement, referring to a day that honours survivors and those who didn't return from residential schools.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, the president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, says the day of reconciliation is welcome.

"For this day to be truly meaningful, it requires healing and capacity for change," Phillip says in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2023.

Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press

Explainer-What ails Canada's healthcare system?

Anna Mehler Paperny
Tue, February 7, 2023 

FILE PHOTO: Humber River Hospital in Toronto


By Anna Mehler Paperny

(Reuters) - Canada's provincial and federal leaders were slated to meet on Tuesday in an attempt to agree upon potential solutions to bolster the country's stretched public healthcare system. Long a source of pride, Canada's publicly funded healthcare system has been strained to the breaking point due to factors including the pandemic and staffing shortages.

Here are some of the issues facing Canada's health system:

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES?

A shortage of healthcare workers fueled in part by burnout and attrition has plagued Canada's hospitals, clinics and primary care resources. The health and social services sector vacancy rate was 5.7% in November, down from a multi-year high of 6.6% two months earlier.

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information there were 93,998 physicians in Canada in 2021, or 2.46 per 1,000 people.

According to the World Bank using World Health Organization statistics, the United States had 2.6 physicians per 1,000 people in 2018 and the United Kingdom had 5.8 in 2019.

WHERE ARE THE PRESSURE POINTS?

The crisis is most evident in the country's hospitals, which faced a surge in respiratory illnesses last fall that left some people waiting hours in emergency departments, sometimes being treated there because of a lack of staffed beds. There were high-profile deaths of people whose families said they could have lived had they received timely care.

WHAT IS THE PRIMARY CARE CONUNDRUM?

Primary care providers are considered the "front door" of healthcare - they are the clinicians who follow patients, deal with a range of concerns and determine who needs a specialist's care. But millions of Canadians do not have one. A survey conducted last fall found 22% of respondents lacked a family doctor or nurse practitioner they could talk to about their health. Lacking a primary care provider can mean problems do not get caught early or people rely on walk-in clinics or emergency rooms.

WHAT ROLE DOES AN AGING POPULATION PLAY?

Canada has failed to address the growing healthcare needs of an aging population, said Alan Drummond, an emergency physician at the Great War Memorial Hospital in Perth, Ontario.

On any given day, a fifth of hospital beds in Ontario are taken up by people who do not need to be hospitalized, Drummond said. They are often awaiting transfer to a long-term care facility or to their home where they are assisted by a caregiver. But there are not enough home care or long-term care resources to provide for them, Drummond said.

WHAT DOES CANADA SPEND ON HEALTHCARE?

Total health spending in Canada was expected to reach C$331 billion in 2022, or C$8,563 per Canadian, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Total health expenditure in 2022 was expected to rise by 0.8%, following a high growth rate of 13.2% in 2020 and 7.6% in 2021. From 2015 to 2019 health spending growth averaged 4% per year.

In 2022 total health spending was 12.2% of GDP, down from 13.8% in 2020. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canada's per-capita health spending was below that of the United States, Germany, Switzerland and other rich countries in 2021.

WHAT DO THE PROVINCES WANT?

The provinces have asked for billions more in funding from the federal government. Ottawa, for its part, has said such a funding boost must come with strings attached. This could include improvements in data collection and the provision of mental health care, among other things. The federal government and the provinces have cautioned not to expect finalized deals on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

Canada pledges C$46.2 billion in new funding to fix strained healthcare system



Tue, February 7, 2023 
By Ismail Shakil and Anna Mehler Paperny

OTTAWA/TORONTO (Reuters) -Canada's federal government will provide an additional C$46.2 billion ($34.4 billion) in new funding for the country's public healthcare system over 10 years, it said on Tuesday following a meeting with its provincial and territorial counterparts to hammer out a deal to fix the overburdened system.

Canada's public healthcare systems have been under strain thanks in part to the pandemic and staffing shortages that have left hospitals stretched to the breaking point.

For years the provincial governments, which are responsible for healthcare delivery, have asked Ottawa to increase its contribution to health spending. The federal government, for its part, said it wanted new money to come with conditions.

Provincial premiers told reporters they had to digest the proposal but were underwhelmed by the dollar amount. Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said they were "a little disappointed."

"What we see this as, is a starting point. It's a down payment on further discussion," said Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

Long a source of pride, Canada's publicly funded healthcare system has been strained by the pandemic and staff shortages.

Some of the new funds promised Tuesday are unconditional; others are earmarked for certain priority areas. The federal government is asking the provinces to commit to better data gathering and sharing in order to access the increased funds.

But the proposal, which seeks to use bilateral agreements to target priority areas such as primary care and mental health, suggests the federal government has more ability to dictate health spending than they do, said Sara Allin, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto's Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation.

"It just sounds so much more prescriptive than the federal government actually can be."

A cash infusion could help Canada's healthcare, Allin said. But the real problem is one of governance.

"How do we manage the system? How do we hold the different actors accountable?"

The additional C$46.2 billion in funding unveiled Tuesday is part of a larger C$196.1 billion package in increased health funding over a decade.

"Canadians deserve better health care and we need immediate actions to address current and future challenges," Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said in a statement.

The deal needs signoff from the provinces, which have previously pushed back against the federal government's conditions.

Tuesday's meeting in Ottawa could result in an agreement over a general outline of healthcare funding, but the federal government and the provinces have cautioned not to expect finalized deals on Tuesday.

Tuesday's package includes C$25 billion over 10 years to be hammered out in bilateral agreements to target shared health priorities in the fields of family health services, healthcare workers and backlogs, mental health and substance use, and "a modernized healthcare system."

The Canada Health Act governs the country's publicly funded healthcare system, which is meant to offer Canadians equitable access to medical care based on their needs, not their ability to pay.

($1 = 1.3414 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Steve Scherer and Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto; Editing by Sandra Maler, Aurora Ellis and Jonathan Oatis)

Factbox-Details on Canadian government new healthcare funding


Tue, February 7, 2023 

Provincial and Territorial premiers gather to discuss healthcare in Ottawa


TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian government on Tuesday announced C$46.2 billion ($34.4 billion) in new funding for provinces and territories to tackle the country's strained public health system.

Here are some of the key aspects of the plan:

* An immediate C$2 billion Canada Health Transfer (CHT) to

address pressures on the healthcare system, especially in pediatric hospitals and emergency rooms, and long wait times for surgeries.

* A 5% CHT guarantee for the next five years, which will be provided through annual top-up payments as required.

* C$25 billion over 10 years to advance shared health priorities through tailored bilateral agreements that will support the needs of people in each province and territory in four areas of shared priority: family health services; health workers and backlogs; mental health and substance use; and a modernized health system.

* These additional federal investments will be contingent on continued healthcare investments by provinces and territories.

* C$1.7 billion over five years to support hourly wage increases for personal support workers and related professions, as federal, provincial, and territorial governments work together on how best to support recruitment and retention.

* C$2 billion over 10 years to address the unique challenges indigenous peoples face when it comes to fair and equitable access to quality and culturally safe healthcare services.

($1 = 1.3414 Canadian dollars)

(Compiled by Denny Thomas; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

SEIU HEALTHCARE RESPONSE TO NEW FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PERSONAL SUPPORT WORKERS


RICHMOND HILL, ON, Feb. 7, 2023 /CNW/ - The following statement can be attributed to SEIU Healthcare president, Sharleen Stewart:

Canada's Healthcare Union (CNW Group/SEIU Healthcare)

"SEIU Healthcare welcomes the federal government's commitment today of $1.709 billion to invest in personal support workers (PSWs) and care workers like them who support our vulnerable loved ones.

This funding marks a giant step forward towards achieving a $25 per hour national minimum wage for all PSWs across Canada.

Our message to provincial and territorial governments is simple: the time for excuses is over—it's time to raise wages for PSWs and provide better healthcare jobs—it's time for $25 for Canada's PSWs and all underpaid healthcare workers like them.

We call on Canada's premiers to accept this money and raise wages for healthcare workers immediately because good healthcare jobs mean better care for seniors and patients.

Canada's health human resources are in crisis and workers on the frontline are demanding that all governments invest in safe staffing levels. That's why SEIU Healthcare will never stop fighting for all healthcare workers who are overworked and underpaid, and with action from all levels of government we can end the exploitation of women in the care economy more broadly, and all healthcare workers in particular."

SEIU Healthcare represents more than 60,000 healthcare and community service workers across Ontario. The union's members work in hospitals, homecare, nursing and retirement homes, and community services throughout the province. www.seiuhealthcare.ca

SOURCE SEIU Healthcare

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/07/c6390.html

Controversial Calgary Lecturer Shut Down At University Of Lethbridge

Tue, February 7, 2023 

(ANNews) – Hundreds of University of Lethbridge students protested a scheduled talk from a former Mount Royal University (MRU) professor who has engaged in residential school denialism. The talk was cancelled as a result of the protest.

Frances Widdowson, who has said residential school survivors received an education “normally they wouldn’t have received” and that the Black Lives Matter movement “destroyed” MRU’s campus was fired from her role as an economics, justice and policy studies professor last year.

While Widdowson claimed she was disciplined for “criticizing ‘woke’ ideas,” the university issued a statement saying academic freedom “does not justify harassment or discrimination.”

The protests against Widdowson’s appearance at U of L were led by Indigenous students and faculty, with allies joining them in support.

Some protestors surrounded Widdowson and shouted her down while others chanted and played guitar. A drumming circle also formed, with community members dancing in the hall.

“Every time Widdowson was forced to move further away from the atrium, loud applause and cheering erupted in the crowd,” Stephen Hunt reported for CTV News, adding that a “handful of people” were there to support her.

She was ultimately whisked away from campus by security and was scheduled to deliver her talk over Zoom.

Keely Wadsworth, a fourth year Aboriginal Health student, told CTV she “100 per cent support[s] cancelling” Widdowson’s lecture.

Wadsworth spent last summer researching and detailing incidents that took place on six residential schools on the Blood Reserve.

“I know every single incident, I know every single death that happened,” she said,” How do you take all that knowledge and think that it’s positive?”

Brittany Lee, a councillor with Lethbridge Metis Local 2003 said she was there to support the more than 2,000 Metis people who live in the Lethbridge area.

“We believe that education should be the means to repairing the damage that was done to our peoples via the residential school system, and not a means to rehash some of the tragic events that have happened in the past. So we’re here to rebuild that relationship and make sure that everybody’s feeling supported in that way,” she said.

After the event’s cancellation, U of L president Mike Mahon issued a statement expressing his “sincere appreciation to our community members for conducting themselves in such a peaceful and powerful manner.”

In an interview with the Lethbridge Herald, Widdowson said she places blame “squarely at the feet of the university’s president for not cultivating an environment for intellectual discussion, open inquiry and academic freedom.”

The Widdowson incident highlighted tension between U of L’s commitment to academic freedom and its stated commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

The university originally said it would provide space with her lecture in line with its free expression policy, but then backtracked based on its TRC commitments. Widdowson still showed up.

The cancellation of Widdowson’s lecture produced a backlash from the provincial government. Minister of Advanced Education Demetrios Nicolaides announced that universities will now be required to submit annual reports on their efforts to “protect free speech” on campus, and threatened further measures.

“It is abundantly clear that more needs to be done to ensure our institutions are adequately protecting free speech,” Nicolaides wrote.

The Canadian Association of University Teachers initially said the cancellation of Widdowson’s lecture raised ““serious concerns about the University of Lethbridge’s commitment to freedom of expression and academic freedom.”

But after the government announced its apparent reprisal, the association emphasized that the state “cannot and should not dictate how universities run their internal academic affairs.”

In response to the government’s announcement, the University of Calgary Students’ Union issued a statement in support of the U of L community “strongly standing against hate on their campus.”

“U of L students stood up, held firm, and made it clear that they had no interest in hearing a lecture that denies the genocidal nature of residential schools and the lasting harm these institutions have done to Indigenous peoples,” it said. “That decision should be respected.”

Former premier Jason Kenney forced all post-secondary institutions, except for Lacombe’s religious Burman University, to adopt free speech policies by December 2019 based on the so-called “Chicago principles,” which state community members “may not obstruct or otherwise interfere with the freedom of others to express views they reject or even loathe.”

Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News

WestJet pilots at an 'impasse' with airline over contract talks: union

CALGARY — The union representing WestJet pilots says contract negotiations with the airline have been unproductive and federal arbitration may be needed to avert a strike.

ALPA Canada, which represents approximately 1,800 pilots at WestJet and its low-cost subsidiary Swoop, says it has been negotiating with the Calgary-based company since September.

It says the two parties are at an impasse over issues like wages and scheduling.

WestJet pilots first unionized in May 2017, marking a major shift in culture at the famously non-union airline.

The pilots' first union contract, which expired at the end of 2022, was the result of an arbitrated settlement.

That settlement, reached in 2018, averted a threatened pilots' strike, as WestJet pilots had voted in favour of job action after contract talks fell apart.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2023.

Lower turnout in renewed protests over French pension reform

Tue, February 7, 2023 



PARIS (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of French marched in a third round of protests Tuesday against planned pension reforms, while new nationwide strikes disrupted public transport and schools, as well as power, oil and gas supplies. Turnout at the demonstrations was lower than on previous occasions.

Train passengers were expected to face more delays Wednesday, with two rail unions calling to extend their strike by 24 hours.

The protests came a day after French lawmakers began debating a pension bill that would raise the minimum retirement from 62 to 64. The bill is the flagship legislation of President Emmanuel Macron's second term.

Over 750,000 people marched in Paris, the cities of Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes and elsewhere, according to the Interior Ministry. That’s fewer than on the last protest, on Jan. 31. The nearly 60,000 protesters in the French capital marched from the Opera area across the city carrying placards reading “Save Your Pension” and “Tax Billionaires, Not Grandmas.” The strike disruptions were also milder than on Jan. 31.

France’s current pension system “is a democratic achievement in the sense that it is a French specialty that other countries envy,” said one protester, media worker Anissa Saudemont, 29.

“I feel that with high inflation, unemployment, the war in Ukraine and climate change, the government should focus on something else,” she added.

Much of the Paris march was peaceful, but there were flashes of unrest; police said officers detained 17 people for “throwing projectiles” and alleged vandalism.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne defended the government plan Tuesday but suggested there was room for adjustments.

“I’m convinced there are points of agreement to be found. I’m convinced that we can improve this text together. It will be through debate, confronting ideas and, of course, respect,” she said, noting graffiti that appeared on the meeting place of the National Assembly, including a door marked with “60.”

If nothing is done, Borne said, taxes and social charges will increase, along with unemployment and lower purchasing power. That would would cost retirees with modest pensions and “all those who worked all their lives, and certainly not the big bosses," she said.

“Voila, your alternative project,” Borne said.

Last week, an estimated 1.27 million people demonstrated, according to authorities, more than in the first big protest day on Jan. 19. More demonstrations, called by France's eight main unions, are planned for Saturday.

Rail operator SNCF said train services were severely disrupted Tuesday across the country, including on its high-speed network. International lines to Britain and Switzerland were affected. The Paris metro was also disrupted.

Saad Kadiui, 37, a consulting cabinet chief who had to go through a disrupted Paris train station Tuesday, said he did not support the “wearisome” strikes. “There are other ways to protest the pension reform,” he said.

Kadiui said he supported the principle of the pension reform but wanted the bill to be improved in parliament. “I think that for some jobs, 64 is too late,” he said.

Train travel in France is set to remain disrupted into Wednesday. The CGT-Cheminots and SUD-Rail unions on Tuesday evening extended their members' walkout by a day. SNCF said the action would lead to delays or cancellations in up to a third of high-speed trains.

Workers in oil refineries have said they also plan to continue their strike action into Wednesday.

Power producer EDF said the protest movement led to temporarily reduced electricity supplies Tuesday, without causing blackouts. More than half of the workforce was on strike at the TotalEnergies refineries, according to the company.

The Education Ministry said close to 13% of teachers were on strike, a decrease compared to last week's protest day. A third of French regions were on scheduled school breaks.

Macron vowed to go ahead with the changes, despite opinion polls showing growing opposition. The bill would gradually increase the minimum retirement age to 64 by 2030 and accelerate a planned measure providing that people must have worked for at least 43 years to be entitled to a full pension.

The changes are designed to keep the pension system financially afloat. France’s aging population is expected to plunge the system into deficit in the coming decade.

The parliamentary debates at the National Assembly and the Senate are expected to last several weeks.

Opposition lawmakers have proposed more than 20,000 amendments to the bill debated on Monday, mostly by the left-wing Nupes coalition.

Philippe Martinez, secretary general of the powerful CGT union, called on the government and lawmakers to “listen to the people.” Speaking on French radio network RTL, he denounced Macron’s attitude as “playing with fire.”

Macron wants to show that “he is able to pass a reform, no matter what public opinion says, what the citizens think,” Martinez asserted.

Rancor over the pension plan went beyond parliament's raucous debate. The speaker of the lower house, the National Assembly, reported that the bill had triggered anonymous voicemails, graffiti and a threatening letter to the head of the chamber's Social Affairs Committee.

“That’s enough,” Yael Braun-Pivet tweeted. “These acts are an attack on our democratic life. ... We won’t tolerate it.”

Several lawmakers from the far-right National Rally party received voicemails during Monday's debate saying that loved ones were hospitalized, in an apparent ploy to make them leave the assembly.

Party leader Marine Le Pen filed a complaint via a letter sent to the Paris prosecutor.

____

AP journalists Sylvie Corbet, Oleg Cetinic and Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed.

Thomas Adamson And Jade Le Deley, The Associated Press

French unions remain defiant in face of proposed pension reform despite dip in protester numbers

RFI
Tue, February 7, 2023

REUTERS - SARAH MEYSSONNIER


Opponents of France's controversial pension reform plan sought to keep up the momentum on a third day of protests and strikes. However, the numbers taking to the streets were down on the previous week.

President Emmanuel Macron's bid to raise the retirement age has sparked immense opposition from unions, the left and the wider public, with previous protests on 19 and 31 January sparking mass demonstrations and walkouts.

But turnout was trending downwards on Tuesday with the hardline CGT union saying almost two million people protested nationwide compared with its estimate of 2.8 million last week.

It said 400,000 people were protesting in Paris compared with 500,000 on January 31 and 400,000 on January 19.

The interior ministry is due to publish its own estimates - usually sharply lower than those of the unions - later.

There were isolated clashes in some cities, including Nantes, Paris and Rennes, with police using tear gas against protesters.

Police said that 17 people were arrested in Paris, where bins were set alight, the fronts of McDonalds restaurants smashed as well as glass bottles and other projectiles thrown.

The head of the CGT union, Philippe Martinez, indicated there would be no let up in the fight, warning that more "numerous, massive and rolling" strikes were coming if the government did not drop the pensions plan.

"If the government keeps on refusing to listen then of course things will have to be ratcheted up," he said.

Macron and retirement age

Macron put raising the retirement age and encouraging the French to work more at the heart of his re-election campaign last year, but polls suggest that two-thirds of people are against the changes.

(with AFP)

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2023/02/third-wave-of-french-pension-protests.html

Third wave of French pension protests keeps pressure on Macron

https://plawiuk.blospot.com/2023/02/france-braces-for-new-pension-strikes.html

 

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2023/02/france-controversial-pension-reform.html

Controversial pension reform plan faces first parliamentary showdown

Red Cross helped more people after Fiona than any other disaster in Canada

Tue, February 7, 2023 

An SUV rests at the bottom of a road washed out by torrential rains from post-tropical storm Fiona in Cape Breton's Richmond County.

 (Communications Nova Scotia/The Canadian Press - image credit)

New numbers released by the Canadian Red Cross show the organization provided assistance to nearly 100,000 households, more than any other natural disaster in Canada.

"With Fiona, it impacted hundreds and hundreds of communities scattered throughout all of Eastern Canada," said Bill Lawlor, the Atlantic director of governance and stakeholder relations with the organization.

Fiona resulted in wide-scale impacts, including massive destruction of property and lengthy power outages.

Thanks to the generosity of Canadians who contributed to the Hurricane Fiona in Canada Appeal, the Canadian Red Cross was able to assist individuals and families from more than 96,000 households impacted by the powerful storm. That campaign raised more than $54 million, including matching funds provided by the federal government.

By comparison, the wildfires near Fort McMurray, Alberta in 2016 saw the Red Cross assist 88,000 households. The organization helped 7,540 households after the flooding in British Columbia that swamped entire regions of the Fraser Valley in 2021.

"Only through the generosity of those donors were we able to do some of the activities that we had done," Lawlor said. "There were different impacts in different provinces, and we were able to provide a wide variety of supports."

'Very demanding' work

More than 1,000 volunteers and staff were key to the Red Cross helping so many people in Atlantic Canada. They worked together to provide emergency lodging to more than 1,200 individuals on behalf of provincial governments.

They also provided more than 5,700 emergency items to affected individuals and communities, including hygiene kits, cots, blankets and even teddy bears for young children.

"It can be very demanding when we are in response mode, and we are so very appreciative of the 1,000 staff and volunteers who were able to support these efforts," said Lawlor. "Without them we would have had a much more limited capacity and availability to make as much outreach as we did."

Michael King

The Red Cross also provided support at 33 reception centre sites and conducted 22 mobile visits to impacted communities in partnership with local authorities.

While registration for the Canadian Red Cross financial assistance programs related to Fiona closed in December, Nova Scotians eligible for remaining Hurricane Fiona financial assistance programs have until Feb. 24 to apply.