CLASS WAR IN ALBERTA

Opinion: Two-tier minimum wage will cost older workers their jobs

CALGARY HERALD

Updated: June 7, 2019

Alexander Shevalier, president of the Calgary and District Labour Council, says the new two-tier minimum wage will likely cost older workers their jobs. POSTMEDIA

Premier Jason Kenney’s cavalier approach to the minimum wage has led to one of Bill 2’s most regressive changes in a piece of legislation filled with them.

By lowering the minimum wage to $13 from $15 for an estimated 35,000 workers aged 13-17 — for the first 28 hours per week when school is in session and for all hours worked during the summer — the UCP has kept one of its most controversial election promises while facilitating the increased exploitation of young workers for the sake of higher private profits.

This isn’t the first time a conservative government has implemented an age-based minimum wage differential in Alberta. We had one in the 1990s, called a “training wage,” that allowed employers to pay 50 cents less per hour to those under 18.

The Klein government, however, nixed its unequal youth wage in 1998.

“One, we know that employees, particularly young people, are far more job-ready than they’ve ever been before,” then labour minister Murray Smith told the legislature.

“Secondly, we had evidence where that training wage was being abused by employers, abused to the point where it had to be eliminated. We took that action.”

A two-tiered, unequal youth wage system, as some have speculated it might do in Alberta since Bill 2 was tabled, encourages discriminatory hiring and firing practices. Known as the “substitution effect,” jurisdictions with differential minimum wages have experienced as much.

Australia’s age-tiered wage regime led to “learn or churn” conditions that often result in lower hours for aging workers, or outright replacement. One McDonald’s employee in Queensland called the gradual phase-out of older workers an “unspoken rule.”

While Australia’s youth wages are more extreme at the margins — a 14-year-old worker could make as much as 50 per cent less than their adult colleagues, with incremental wage increases every year until they reach 21 — the incentive to reduce the hours of older workers still exists.

“They use casual employment and junior rates to basically cycle workers off under the apprehension that those workers are going to get more hours as they get more skills in the workplace,” one fast food union rep in Australia said.

Wage differentials in Denmark saw unemployment levels rise by upwards of 33 per cent when workers reached the standard adult wage-earning age. The Danish study also found that hiring slowdowns occur for workers in the months approaching their 18th birthday.

While employment levels declined by a third for Danish workers who’ve turned 18 years old, those levels didn’t start to recover until they reached their 20s. This employment gap could lead to what researchers call a “scarring effect” on those young workers’ career prospects later in life.

Ensuring all workers are paid a standardized minimum wage — preferably a living wage — is the easiest way to prevent employers from the discriminatory practices detailed above.

But young workers are easy targets. They aren’t of voting age, many of their workplaces aren’t unionized, and they are now forced onto even more precarious financial footing because this government believes their labour is less valuable than their adult colleagues’.

While there are legal protections against age discrimination covered by the Alberta Human Rights Act for workers over the age of 18, enforcement is often ineffective. It is unclear how instances of “learn or churn”-style discrimination might be handled in the Alberta context if they occur.

It is also difficult to imagine young, freshly churned workers pursuing costly civil litigation against discriminatory employers.

Considering the hike to $15 last year did not bankrupt the province’s service sector or result in recession-level job losses predicted by some, the UCP’s take-it-or-leave-it “$13 is better than $0” attitude is confusing.

Along with Bill 2’s other anti-labour provisions, it is plain to see that this is a government preparing for a longer fight against Alberta workers. Kenney should heed the advice of former minister Smith and scrap this two-tier minimum wage.

Alexander Shevalier is the president of the Calgary and District Labour Council.

SEE

• CLASS WAR IN ALBERTA AUPE FIGHTS BACK Have you eve...

• CLASS WAR IN ALBERTAOpinion: Two-tier minimum wa...
• CLASS WAR IN ALBERTA  Edmonton·Updated All-night ...
•  CLASS WAR IN ALBERTA Some Alberta businesses vow t...
•  CLASS WAR IN ALBERTA  Alberta MLAs continue marath...
•  CLASS WAR IN ALBERTA 'Full-frontal attack' on wor...

Gomperism

The essence of Sam Gompers politics, the President of the American Federation of Labour, was reward your friends and punish your enemies.

In Alberta the politically backward trades unions, those business unions who are chartered by the American AFL, have revived this dictum for the upcoming Tory leadership race. Traditionally the building trades membership, craft unions, have supported the Liberals in Alberta politics. Several sitting Liberal MLA's are members of the Building Trades unions.

Today they have moved to support aTory right winger who has fought the unionized public sector in this province.

Union Oberg backers buying Conservative memberships

Tactics anger Dinning leadership campaign, labour federation

The Alberta Building Trades Council, an umbrella group that includes 22 local unions, apparently plans to buy as many as 10,000 Tory memberships from the Oberg campaign to give away to its members, allowing each of them to vote for the party's new leader.

A separate union, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, is giving away Tory memberships to its members as well as their families and friends. The only condition is that they support Oberg.

Typical of craft unions whose only interest is self interest, I got mine Jack. In this case as a former infrastructure minister Oberg is promising lots of construction jobs. The fact that he attacks public sector unions shows there is not solidarity in the house of labour in Alberta. Its each for their own. As AUPE proved successfully under former President Dan McLellan. He would approve this move.

The teachers union the ATA is also encouraging its members to flood the Tories with memberships.

Frank Bruseker, head of the Alberta Teachers Association
and a former Liberal MLA, has a PC membership card
and is urging his 33,000 members to buy one, too.

All aboard the gravy train. The reality is that of course this is the real election in Alberta since in a one party state the leadership race is the only time we get to choose our new leader. So shell out your five bucks and vote for our next Glorious Leader. But don't think that will save you from being screwed by the notorious anti-union government of Alberta.


See:

This is Class War

Unions

Alberta Democracy Tory Style

Alberta Lowers Voting Age

Alberta

One Party State

Klein

Democratic Deficit

Mormonism Cult of the Political Right

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Alberta, Dinning, Klein, PC, Calgary, PartyofCalgary, politics, leadership, Conservatives, corporations, OnePartyState
oberg, Stelmach, Norris, Hancock, Morton, Unions, AFL, Gompers, trade-uninons, business-unions, ATA, building-trades,

Go Willie Go

Are you on the bus or off the bus? That's the challenge Willie Lambert is making to the members of CAW. Bus driver aims to steer CAW at top

And it's about time that Buzz faced an election instead of an acclamation.

Hargrove has been repeatedly acclaimed to the union's top job since he first took over from Bob White in 1992. He has said this will be his last campaign -- the union's constitution requires staff to retire at 65, the age he'll reach at the end of another three year term. Hargrove Challenger

What is important in Willie's run is the criticism that Buzz has been getting over concession bargaining and sweetheart contracts with the Big Three auto giants, while failing to organize Magna International or the Japanese and Korean automakers in Canada.

Lambert also criticized Hargrove for accepting changes in labour contracts with Ford and General Motors and for failing to speak out strongly enough for protection of Canadian manufacturing.By agreeing to work rules and other changes in CAW contracts with Ford and GM, Lambert said, Hargrove is setting the stage for the companies to demand even more concessions in the next round of collective bargaining

Buzz dismisses Willie cause he is a public sector worker, a mere bus driver.

"He doesn't come from the auto industry - he works in the public sector. . . . So he doesn't have the same threat to his job as the auto workers."

Uh huh, well he is a bus driver driving the buses members of CAW make, and without drivers well I guess those buses would just sit idle. And the public sector has taken many hits over the last ten years, under Harris and Rae. What an a-hole.

Gee Buzz I thought you were trying to build a national social union not just an autoworkers union. Since that's why you said you were raiding SEIU and why you have been cozing up to AUPE.

Anatomy of a raid

And that's awful patronizing of you to attack Willie for saying what your old pal, mentor and ghost writer Sam Gidin has also said. And he came out of the auto industry. He has publicly criticised your cap in hand gofering for Big Auto.

Concessions in Oshawa: The End of an Era?
Monthly Review, VA - 31 Mar 2006
by Sam Gindin.

Go Willie Go.


Also See CAW To Leave CLC?

Get The Buzz


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Lambert, busdriver, CAW, Buzz, Hargrove, union, Canada, labour

Bye Bye Buzz

The NDP suspended long time member Buzz Hargrove's membership

Well the NDP finally grew a backbone and ditched Buzz. Though the decision is not with out some flack from progressive bloggers. While Blogging Tories rub their hands with glee. Give it up. Buzz deserved no less and the NDP would have looked stupid if it can enforce a whipped vote on Same Sex Marriage in the house but can't whip its high profile members who sit on its executive board, like Hargrove.

Those who compare Buzz to other high profile NDP members who worked for Liberal candidates or supported the Liberals via third party strategies miss the point. None of these folks called for Strategic voting. None of them were poster boys for the Liberals on the Liberals official election web site. Only Buzz went that far.

NDP ouster of Hargrove `knee-jerk'
Toronto Star - 49 minutes ago
Kicking Canadian Auto Workers president Buzz Hargrove out of the New Democratic Party is a "shockingly bad decision" that is divisive and unnecessary, says a fellow union leader.


In Alberta Hargroves buddy is Dan MacLennan who is not in the house of labour but building his own little Liberal labour empire called AUPE. Now Buzz can do the same with CAW. Which is what he has been doing for several years now.

He used to fight with bosses now he capitulates to them and acts as their comprador while fighting the NDP and the CLC. His was not an election strategy from the Left it was an election strategy for funding the Big Three Auto companies. It's not just his political strategy that has failed and is quetionable but his labour strategy to deal with the cuts to Canadian autoworkers jobs that is in question too.What's good for GM is bad for Workers

Buzz is all about Buzz, and his strategy failed. Those who say he was only calling for a vote for the Liberals as a last resort deliberately overlook that he was a poster boy for the Liberals, see here and here. When you are election wall paper you know which side your bread is buttered on.

Buzz made his bed now he can sleep in it. And the NDP doesn't have to worry about being stabbed in the back by bad boy Buzz. Next election Buzz's political clout will be that of a flea. It was only his connection to the NDP that made him and his pronouncements important. Next election he won't even warrent being Liberal wallpaper. See my stories on BUZZ.


NDP tells Hargrove to buzz off
Globe and Mail, Canada - 8 hours ago
Toronto — Buzz Hargrove has been suspended, not expelled, from the Ontario NDP because of complaints that he broke the party's constitution during the ...

Ontario NDP says complaints from party members led to Hargrove's ...
Canada.com, Canada - 9 hours ago
TORONTO (CP) - The president of the Ontario NDP says complaints from party members led to the suspension of Buzz Hargrove's party membership. ...

NDP kicks Hargrove out of party
Toronto Star, Canada - 23 hours ago
The NDP has expelled Buzz Hargrove, the country's most prominent labour leader, for actively promoting strategic voting and Liberal candidates in last month's ...

Hargrove out of NDP after show of Liberal support
Mississauga News, Canada - 9 hours ago
Buzz Hargrove, Mississauga resident and president of the Canadian Auto Workers, has been kicked out of the NDP for turning his back on the party during the ...

NDP sanctions Hargrove over election actions
London Free Press, Canada - 50 minutes ago
By MIKE OLIVEIRA, CP. TORONTO -- Buzz Hargrove has been suspended, not expelled, from the Ontario NDP because of complaints he broke ...

NDP dumps Buzz Hargrove
CBC Montreal, Canada - 17 hours ago
The executive of the New Democratic Party's Ontario wing has voted to revoke the party membership of Canada's best-known union boss. ...

Rabble.ca Babble Forum on Buzz getting Booted.



Tags
Canada
Federal Election
Buzz Hargrove
Politics
Strategic Voting
NDP
Labour
Liberals

Alberta All A Buzz

Here is some of the reaction in the Edmonton Sun today about Buzz putting down Alberta.

Buzz bids to Bloc Harper

EDITORIAL: Grits get Buzzed

Martin gets Buzzed

Reaction was more muted in the other paper; the Edmonton Journal. Muted is not strong enough it was virtually comatose. Slept through the whole thing and published a pre-writtten essay on electoral reform as its editorial.

While the Calgary papers; the Herald and Sun ran wire stories. The Calgary Sun at least made it the front page story. Though it was still the wire story. Calgary is of course Tory Blue.

But in Edmonton we have two seats that were Liberal. Note the past tense.

Wonder what that other Liberal labour leader and pal of Buzz's, Dan MacLennan Presidentof the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) will have to say about this.

Sounds like he needs to give his pal Buzz a reality check.

More of my Buzz Stories

Tags
Canada
Federal Election
Buzz Hargrove
Politics
Strategic Voting
unions
Alberta
Edmonton
Edmonton Sun
Calgary Sun
Harper
Conservatives
Labour
Liberals  

Labour Abandons the NDP

It's not just Buzz or his economist in residence Jim Stanford that have abandoned the NDP now the House of Labour, the founding members of the New Democratic Party have abandoned endorsement of the party in favour of third party lobbying.

CLC puts issues at forefront:: calls for support of policies, not parties, in federal election [Globe & Mail] 05-Jan-2006

This is not new, they did this during the 2004 election, basing their propaganda campaign around 'issues'. But having seen the negatigve impact Buzz embracing Martin has had we have all been waiting for the CLC to come to the defense of the party they created.

The late launching of their campaign this week and their failure to endorse the NDP and attack strategic voting is shameful. Why have they even bothered. Brother Georgetti and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) should hang their heads in shame.

Labour Launches Its Own Federal Election Campaign [CLC] 05-Jan-2006

What was needed now was a strong push in the labour movement for the NDP not some weak tea vote on policies campaign that one would expect from a Liberal front group like the Council of Canadians. Now a strong attack from Labour on the Liberals and Conservatives was needed. And it ain't happening. This makes the CLC irrelevant as well as ineffecutal as a political force in this election.

They sound exactly like Buzz and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) who support the Liberals. An low and behold behind their 'issues' campaign is the truth. Brother Georgetti has abandoned the NDP for the Liberals.

Labour's minority report on the election [24 Hours Vancouver] 05-Jan-2006

A major Canadian labour leader is crossing his fingers for another minority government in the next election.

"We think minority governments work better than majority governments," said Canadian Labour Congress president Ken Georgetti yesterday. "We've seen the results and we're quite happy with them."

Georgetti said the last minority government was better for labour, passing legislation that protected workers' pay if their employers went bankrupt. There was also more money for training and education.

While Georgetti claims to still support the NDP so does Buzz and they sound like Tweedledee and Tweedledum when it comes to the Liberals.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) an affiliate in the CLC at least has taken the bull by the horns and done the right thing. The best “strategic vote” is for the NDP [CUPE] 05-Jan-2006

What had always made Canada different from the U.S. was our labour movement was the source of Canada's Labour and Socialist parties.Through out the thirties till the red scare of the fifties radical unions, were aligned with the Communist Party and the One Big Union formed by the Socialist Party of Canada. In the fifties the divided labour movement in Canada came together as one federated body the CLC and went on to merge with the CCF to create the NDP.

In the U.S. the AFL/CIO historically followed Samuel Gompers dictum of rewarding your friends and punishing your enemies. And would not be until the 1960's that they aligned with the Democrats. An independent labour party never existed under the auspices of the AFL/CIO though the Socialist Party of the USA was a power house under Eugene Debs at the begining of last century.

Today the CLC has reverted, as has Buzz and the CAW to Gomperism. And its all over jobs in the Southern Ontario Rust belt. Auto and Steel jobs. Screw the rest of Canada, screw the NDP, screw Quebec, its all about Ontario. The CLC should give up any pretence to being a national federation, and change its name to the Ontario Labour Congress. And the CAW should change their name to the Ontario Autoworkers Union.

Hot: Endorsements. NDP candidate Peggy Nash, whose boss, Buzz Hargrove, keeps trying to hug Paul Martin when labour union bosses traditionally hug NDP leaders, is doing just fine without him. Ms. Nash, who is running against Liberal incumbent Sarmite Bulte in the Toronto riding of Parkdale-High Park, recently received an endorsement from Stephen Lewis, the former Ontario NDP leader and former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, who is now involved in fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa. Meanwhile, CAW chief economist Jim Stanford is endorsing Greig Mordue, the Liberal candidate in Oxford, a Southwestern Ontario riding. Mr. Mordue is the government affairs official for Toyota, which the last time we checked, was a Japanese car manufacturer. Mr. Mordue is running against Conservative incumbent Dave MacKenzie. Of course, Toyota just broke ground on its new plant in Woodstock, which is part of the Oxford riding.

And Toytoa is one of the companies NOT unionized by CAW, along with Honda. So go figure why such a high profile labour fakir like Stanford would support this particular Liberal. A foot in the door for the CAW to unionize the number one car maker in the world as the number one car maker in the U.S., GM sheds jobs as it tanks in the world market. Opportunism as usual in the world of bread and butter business unionism. Once upon a time the CAW and other large industrial unions claimed to be the Left in Canada, and the Left in the union movement.

Today they show themselves for what they are, shameless business unions out for the good of their own members.Willing to sacrifice class struggle for a bowl of pottage.


Tags
Canada
Federal Election
Buzz Hargrove
Politics
CAW
Strategic Voting
NDP
CLC
CUPE
Labour
Liberals

Labour A House Divided

For those making a big fuss and broohaha over Buzz and Paul ferget about it, its a flash in the pan. This too shall pass, and while Buzz's strategic voting strategy is doomed to failure I doubt it will have much impact on the NDP except as a one day news story.

As I said here, Buzz's Strategic Voting strategy began in 1999 after the Bobby Rae NDP Government screwed Ontario, and in effect Alberta, workers. Ralph Klein was only to eager to blame his social contract freezing and rolling back public workers wages on Bobby Rae and ironically the wage roll backs unionized Safeways workers took in the province. Ever an opportunist that Ralphy boy of ours. Anyways in the 1999 Buzz started his strategic voting campaign against Ralph Kleins doppelganer; Mike Harris. And Buzz has done this ever since. Such is his hatred of Conservatives. It really is not so much strategic voting for Buzz as much as Anybody but the Conservatives. So why all the shock and awe in the MSM and Blogosphere.

Buzz at least admits to being an NDP supporter, not a Liberal, and has what he thinks is a pragmatic plan for strategic voting as flawed as it is. While the NDP may have been the party of Labour it was never a Labour party. And Paul Martin has gotten support from unions before this, in particular the largest private sector building trades union in Canada, the General Construction Workers Union of Toronto. And the CCWU is not the only Liberal Labour supporter.

Dan McLellan of AUPE is a Liberal and includes in his fan club his golf partner Ralph Klein, as well as Right Wing Sun Columnist Neil Waugh. He is their favorite Labour leader. And like Buzz he is promoting Strategic Voting in Edmonton Centre for the only Liberal left standing in Alberta, Landslide Anne MacLellan.

Remember last election when the Liberals raided the NDP for candidates in B.C. including current Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh, former NDP Premier of B.C.

As for Labour the Liberals in B.C. got David Haggard, the former President of the International Woodworkers of America to run for them last election. And recently he held a fund raiser for his pal David Emerson another B.C. Liberal and Minister of Industry.

Those in the know forwarded me this little missive to my email.

From Public Eye Online
www.publiceyeonline.com

September 23, 2005
Our definition of eclectic

Friends and associates of David Emerson paid out $200 each last night to
attend a fundraising roast for the federal Liberal industry minister's
constituency association. According to our operatives, former Industrial,
Wood and Allied Workers of Canada president David Haggard hosted the event,
held at Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant. Barbs were delivered by Senator Jack
Austin, minister's regional office executive director Billy Cunningham,
Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and former provincial deputy minister Bob
Plecas. And a who's who list of powerhouse personalities was on hand to
witness that delivery.

From the union movement there was British Columbia Federation of Labour
president Jim Sinclair and British Columbia and Yukon Territory Building and
Construction Trades Council executive director Wayne Peppard. Former top
British Columbia bureaucrats John Allen, Lee Doney and Don Wright also
showed up. And so did Barrett administration cabinet minister Bob Williams,
ex-Vancouver-Fraserview New Democrat backbencher Bernie Simpson and 24 hours
president and former premier Glen Clark, who was sitting at The Pattison
Group's table. Other notables included First Nations Summit executive member
Grand Chief Ed John and Chief Stewart Phillip of the British Columbia First
Nations Leadership Council, as well as a number of forest industry
executives.

The house of Labour is truly divided. For the first time in fifty years since it founded the NDP the House of Labour is a family set against itself. And the Liberals will take advantage of this family fued as long as they stay in power.

Redmonton Not In The Bag for the Conservatives

The Liberals are behind the eight ball in Redmonton. You'd think they only found out about the election last night. They still have to nominate eight more seats in Alberta and three of those are in Edmonton. Huh?

And as I reported here yesterday their national webpage is soooooo far behind that they claim only to have 12 candidates in Alberta. Today the have updated it for the twenty candidates they do have nominated.

Yep Alberta is NOT IMPORTANT TO THE LIBERALS OR CONSERVATIVES.... Its in the bag..... Big mistake......there are four ridings that could be contenders;

Landslide Anne's Edmonton Centre, where Laurie Hawn PC has run before and kicked off the attack ads on the radio on the weekend, his focus Crime and Punishment, he is punishing Anne for having been justice minister, being soft on crime and the Gun Registry....might work in Calgary but we're more urban than gunslinger here......

Edmonton- Beaumont where Kilgour stepped down and the PC's nominated a white guy to replace him in this huge East Indian community (ohhh thats smart...must have figured since Kilgour did it any white guy can.....Kilgour had a base in the community......opps this could be a strategic blunder......) Must figure since he works for the Oilers that will help.....The NDP have nominated a White Guy to run here too, though his campaign manager is Anand Sharma of the NDYA, problem is that this guy has no profile.......the Liberals have still to nominate anyone here..... rumour has it And speaking of Dan Maclennan, the popular Union leader of AUPE,( a guy that even the right wing Sun media loves) may be the Liberal candidate here after losing the nomination in Edmonton East.......and if Dan does run this could be one to watch.......

Nomination meetings are set for Dec. 3 and Dec. 5 for Edmonton-Strathcona and Millwoods-Beaumont.

MID-WINTER BLAHS If there's an election, the only interesting local ridings will be Edmonton-Beaumont, with David Kilgour retiring and non-ethnic Mike Lake winning the Conservative nomination. In Edmonton East, it's another odd situation for the Liberals, with this Nicole Martel campaigning as if she's the Liberal nominee, while the PM invites Alberta Union of Provincial Employees president Dan MacLennan to run in the riding. In Strathcona, the Liberals will sic Andy Hladyshevsky on incumbent Tory Rahim Jaffer.

Edmonton East only had their Liberal candidate nominated Sunday night and despite some failed arm twisting it ain't Dan its unknown Nicole Martel ......She is running against NDP candidate Arlene Chapman who has a good profile in the community,and unlike the Liberals who can't count on their Provincial party to help out, can count on her NDP MLA to help out. So I predict its a two way race between the NDP and PC's.

Edmonton Strathcona is one to watch as well. Vote splitting has allowed Rahim Jaffer to come up the middle and get elected in this left wing riding where the MLA is popular former NDP Leader Raj Pannu. The NDP gained an enormous amount of votes last election, putting them neck and neck with the Liberals.

This time around their candidate Linda Duncan ,an experienced parlimentary lobbyist for the Environmental movement may be able to win votes away from the Liberals, with Laytons send more NDPs to Ottawa campaign. Will that be enough to defeat Jaffer? Place your wagers.

With the Liberals nominating for Edmonton Strathcon newcomer Hladyshevsky, an Executive member of the right wing Nationalist Ukrainian Canadian Congress and partner with the Liberal dominated law firm of Fraser Milner Casgrain, they are hoping his connection to the University and its Ukrainian Ctudies department will help out. Nicole Martel is also Ukrainian and Edmonton East has a large Ukrainian community, though it is mostly old timers.

The Liberals may be trying to make up for the Ignatieff factor in Toronto with Ukes from Edmonton, see we're inclusive....I wonder what Hladyshevsky has to say about Ignatieff since the UCC has denounced him.....

Local candidates gear up for looming election

---

by KAREN KARBASHEWSKI
Examiner Staff

On your mark.

Get set.

Campaign!

The race is on as federal political parties gear up for an expected election in early 2006, and have most of their candidates in place, ready to trudge through sleet and snow to spread the message.

“All of our campaign teams have been ready to go since May,” says Tony Clark, federal NDP organizer.

One familiar name on the NDP ballot is Donna Martyn. She ran in Edmonton-Riverview in the 2004 provincial election under the New Democrat banner, attempting to take down incumbent MLA and Liberal leader Kevin Taft. Though unsuccessful, she remains undaunted and has thrown her hat and passion into the federal camp.

“I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” she says, adding she’s been out meeting constituents since the spring.

Martyn is running in Edmonton Centre, Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan’s riding. Edmonton Centre will be the focal point for political watchers this election as McLellan, Alberta’s lone Liberal member of parliament, fights for her seat for the fifth time.

It was a nail-biter in Edmonton Centre in the 2004 election as McLellan beat conservative candidate Laurie Hawn by 721 votes. Some pundits questioned if voters were confused about the Conservative party’s name. The Reform party and the Progressive Conservatives had merged under the name Conservative Party of Canada or CPC. But a candidate also ran under the banner of the PC party, or the Progressive Canadian party.

Conservative Laurie Hawn is gearing up for another duel in Edmonton Centre and says there’s no doubt people who voted for the PC party candidate in 2004 thought they were voting for the Conservative party.
“They used the old (Progressive Conservative) fonts and colours, they were on the ballot as PC. We had observed on that to Elections Canada and they said there wasn’t any confusion, but of course, there was. It was annoying and it was deceitful ... We’ll deal with it if it comes up again,” says Hawn.

He says the loss motivated the ‘heck’ out of him and he’s ready to take a leave from his position as the manager of Union Securities Limited to hit the campaign trail when the need comes.

He’s already secured office space in a former bank building at the north end of Westmount Mall and has built on his volunteer base from the last election.

Anne McLellan’s camp is also ready to go at a moment’s notice, says team member Ray McKall.

“We will be prepared. It appears now to be coming sooner, not later, even though that’s not the prime minister ‘s schedule. If it is forced early, we will be ready to go early,” he says.

Volunteers have been securing new office space for the expected campaign as McLellan’s campaign headquarters for the last two elections is now home to a gardening business.

McLellan’s team will also have help from Dan MacLennan, president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), who was rumoured to be running for the Liberals.

“It was something I was looking at seriously. I’d had lots of meetings (about it) but I just go re-elected three weeks ago to this job. I met with my new six-person executive and not one of them has more than a year’s experience. What I’m going to be doing instead, is taking some holidays and helping Anne McLellan,” he says.

“I think she’s going to have the toughest fight ever, so I think that’s where my energy is going to be spent,” he added.

Edmonton-area Liberals have some candidates in place and continue to hold nomination meetings to determine who will run in some ridings. Calls to the party’s election readiness co-chair went unreturned.

Mark MacGillivray, Alberta coordinator for the Green Party of Canada, says the party will be running a full slate of candidates in the area and has people in place for all but two Edmonton-area ridings.

Edmontonian Harold Knippschild doesn’t think a January 2006 election is a great idea as it will force candidates to campaign over Christmas.

“I’d rather them come after the holidays because it’s so hectic. I think we have to do something about this government. I just hope this time something is done. It seems everybody complains about the Liberals, but when it comes right down to it, they get back into power,” he says.

Kitt Sampley says she’s all for an election and now is as good a time as ever.

“I’d love to get the Liberals out of there. Soon is good, but sooner is better,” she says.

Sampley’s sister Chris Caddey says an early year election means candidates will have to campaign during Christmas and be away from their families.

“They never come to my house,” counters Sampley. “I’ve lived in Mill Woods for 10 years and never had one there.”

Both women say sleet nor slow would stop them from heading to the polls to cast their ballots. When that will be is still up in the air, but a motion of non-confidence is expected to be entered into the House of Commons on Thursday, with the vote expected on Nov. 28 or Nov. 29. If his minority government is defeated, which is widely expected, Prime Minister Paul Martin would then be forced to call an election which is expected to be Jan. 9 or Jan. 16.

CONFIRMED CANDIDATES


EDMONTON CENTRE
Anne McLellan - LIB
Laurie Hawn - CPC
Donna Martyn - NDP
David Parker - GREEN
EDMONTON EAST
Peter Goldring - CPC
Arlene Chapman - NDP
Unknown - GREEN
EDMONTON LEDUC
James Rajotte - CPC
Marty Rybiak - NDP
Ben Pete - GREEN
EDMONTON MILLWOODS BEAUMONT
Mike Lake - CPC
Neal Gray - NDP
EDMONTON SHERWOOD PARK
Ken Epp - CPC
Unknown - NDP
Lynn Lau - GREEN
EDMONTON SPRUCE GROVE
Rona Ambrose - CPC
Jason Rockwell - NDP
John Lackey - GREEN
EDMONTON ST. ALBERT
John Williams - CPC
Mike Melymick - NDP
Peter Johnston - GREEN
EDMONTON STRATHCONA
Rahim Jaffer - CPC
Linda Duncan - NDP
Cameron Wakefield - GREEN

Two Tier Alberta

'Alberta sets the agenda for Canada' Jean Charest 1996

No truer words were ever spoken about the Klein Revolution, and they come back to haunt us again and again as Canadians and as long suffering Albertans.

Little Jean said that when has leader of the Federal Conservatives. As Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party and now that Provinces Premier, he tried to implement his own version of the Klein Revolution in that province over the past two years. Unsuccesfully of course, since Quebec is a social democratic society, and Republican Lite policies while appealing to the mythical ' taxpayers', fall flat when it comes to privatization and outsourcing of the public sector and its unions. Cause those same taxpayers are the workers who are unionized and who use public services.

Part 1: Third Way for Health Care

“I don't think it's two tier,” Mr. Klein said. “I guess it's subjective.”

Today Ralph announced his plans for introducing two tiered health care in Alberta. And it will have a major impact on Health Care across Canada.

Klein launches 'third way' for health care
Alberta Premier Ralph Klein has unveiled changes to the province's health-care system, his long-awaited "third way" mix of public and private options. At a news conference with provincial Health Minister Iris Evans on Tuesday morning, Klein released a plan to transform the system. They fended off questions about whether it would contravene the Canada Health Act or create a two-tier system. "The things that are medically necessary will be provided," Evans said. Klein repeatedly said that he couldn't answer those questions because the province is just starting to form the new strategy. "You don't snap your fingers and it doesn't happen overnight," he said.

Oh that Ralph he is so coy, overnight indeed, he has been planning this for six years since the passing of Bill 11.

Among the changes cited in a 12-point plan released on Tuesday, Alberta plans to:
* Change regulations to provide choice in hospital rooms and enhanced medical goods and services.
* Develop a Health Care Assurance Act for Albertans.
* Expand primary health-care services.
* Control spiraling drug costs.
* Increase the number of health-care providers.
* Improve health services in rural communities.

Alberta's Third Way
By SCOTT DEVEAU
Tuesday, July 12,
Globe and Mail Update
The Alberta government announced its Third Way to provide health care in the province at a press conference in Calgary Tuesday.“The action will start immediately,” Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said Tuesday.
Among the reforms, Mr. Klein announced that Albertans would be able to use secondary insurance to help pay for podiatry and chiropractic services beyond what's covered by Alberta health care by the end of this month.
By September, the province hopes to allow patients in hospitals to choose special accommodations above the standard hospital room and to choose enhanced medical goods and services beyond what doctors decide is medically necessary. Regional health authorities will be able to charge for those special accommodations, Mr. Klein said.

A standing room-only crowd greets the premier. He tells the assembled he only has a few minutes because he has to meet some young farmers.

Do his government's proposals break the Canada Health Act? "No," replies Ralph, who does not elaborate.

What happened to all that stuff about taking on the feds? "We're just starting. You don't just snap your fingers and it doesn't happen overnight."

Where is this Third Way headed? Can you expand?

"I can't expand on it because I don't know. Something may or may not challenge the Canada Health Act."

What we do know is, among the ponderings and promises, people with money will be able to spend their scratch to get nicer hospital rooms and use insurance for services beyond what's covered now and walk on a fancy-pants Birmingham replacement hip rather than the regular-people Premier's Choice replacement hip.

Next year, what's covered by the public plan and what's not will be up for discussion. But Ralph will be gone or very near the exit sign. For now, we see these extras for the affluent, yet another spin on Ralph's Alberta Advantage. By RICK BELL -- Calgary Sun

Well the Supreme Court opened the can of worms with its ruling on provinces responsibility to provide health care for its citizens even if that meant private health care plans. Top court strikes down Quebec private health-care ban

And now Ralph has announced, wait for it, that he intends to apply this in Alberta as part of his Third Way for Healthcare. That is instead of using the American model of privatization he will use the European/British model of two tiered health care. That model of economic efficiency that almost destroyed the British NHS.

Ever since Bill 11 was passed in Alberta, and the weak kneed Feds failed to challenge Ralph over it, his agenda has been to allow for privatization of health care by hook or by crook. And so far many crooked backdoor privatization schemes have occured, mainly in Calgary. All of them associated with members of his party and government.

While Quebec stalls on what the meaning of the Supreme Court ruling means to their highly privatized healthcare system, Montreal has become the private health-care capital of Canada, Ralph has picked up the ball the Fed's fumbled and has declared war on Canada's Public Health Care system.

It's the showdown that has been waiting for five years, and with a Minority Liberal Government facing a BQ and Conservative opposition that will defend Ralph for their own reasons, (the BQ because it will defend Provincial Autonomy and the Conservatives, well they are from Alberta and are the party of privatization) don't expect much but the gnashing and grinding of teeth from Health Minister Dosanjh.

"In Ottawa, Federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh pledged to enforce the Canada Health Act. He said Ottawa is in talks with "Alberta, B.C., Quebec and other provinces where there may be violations on diagnostic or surgical aspects of health care." Describing the health act as the "charter of medicare," Dosanjh said the legislation is a "very important instrument in maintaining our system of health care across the country and it will be enforced." Dosanjh said Health Canada is investigating alleged violations, but was not more specific." Clinics' spread vexes ministers

The Feds may have little stomach for a fight with Ralph as our toothless Health Minister confirmed;

In Ottawa, federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said his initial reaction was positive. "No user fees and no queue-jumping are the linchpins of our medicare system," Dosanjh said."These fundamental characteristics of our system will continue to be protected for all Canadians. "I am pleased to see Alberta has reaffirmed its commitment to the Canada Health Act, and that the proposed package, in my view, indicates a generally positive step in ensuring better health care for Albertans."
Klein: let patients buy better service

The media made a big deal with selective quoting of the former NDP Premier of Saskatchewan; Roy Romanow, who did the Romanow Report on Medicare, claiming he was not opposed to Ralph's plan.

Roy Romanow, the former Saskatchewan premier who headed the 2002 royal commission on health care, said the reforms appeared "pretty mild" and most would likely not breach the federal universality provisions.
Klein: let patients buy better service

What he actually said was that Ralphs plan still leads to two tiered care:

But former federal health commissioner Roy Romanow, who led a federal commission on the health care system, says while he has no problem with the proposal on hospital rooms, putting a price tag on joint replacements amounts to two-tiered care. He also attacked the notion that adding more private health care to the system would reduce the load on the public system. "Take a look at the United Kingdom, take a look at France, take a look at any of those countries that have attempted this and what happens is, the wait times increase both in the public sector and in the private sector." CBC Saskatchewan

Canadians who support public services and public delivery of those services, view it as money well spent. Those on the right view it as limiting their friends from making a profit off of us. Be afraid Canada, be very afraid, Ralph and his federal counterparts in Harpers Conservatives will be out to convince you that two tiered health care is the best reform for medical services delivery.

The Alberta Federation of Labour pointedly stated that; More private health insurance will increase business costs and undermine "Alberta Advantage" Corporate Alberta should take tories out to the woodshed. I like that last bit but unfortunately Corporate Alberta likes two tiered medicare, after all THEY CAN AFFORD IT.

Other critics have panned the plan that's not a plan.

"This isn't a plan, it's a grab bag of ideas big and small, new and old. It appears to reflect the split in the government caucus between those, including Premier Klein, who want more privatization, and those who champion public health care, as does Health Minister Iris Evans." Edmonton Journal Editorial.

"The rich in this province will get the Birmingham hip and the rest of us will get the tragically hip," Alberta NDP Leader Brian Mason said of specialized hip surgery which has fewer complications and works better in younger, active patients than traditional hip replacements. The bone-conserving procedure can be three times more expensive than a traditional hip replacement and is only available in Calgary as part of a pilot project.
Klein: let patients buy better service

I like that sound bite Brian. And folks please note where is this hip replacement procedure only available? Like I have said before there is Alberta, and then there is Calgary, and the Klein agenda is set in Calgary by the PC's (Party of Calgary).

The health care “reforms” announced by the Alberta government yesterday take the province further down the dangerous path to a full two-tier health care system, says AUPE President Dan MacLennan. “Albertans should be gravely concerned about the idea of allowing the wealthy to pay extra for ‘enhanced’ health care services,” MacLennan said. “There is a great risk that it will not be long before what we now think of as a basic medical necessity will be described as ‘enhanced.’Allowing physicians to offer Cadillac services to well-heeled patients will over the long term drive many medical professionals out of the public health system to run purely for-profit medical businesses, he warned. “The danger is that waiting lists for basic public health services will grow longer and that the quality of service in the public health system will get worse."
Alberta health care ‘reforms’ increase risk of creating two-tier health system

"Third Way" is the Evolution of Private Health Care

CUPE Alberta President decries sneaking in two-tier system by stealth

Government’s plan more of the same private health agenda

Albertans have long rejected two-tier care for the privileged.
Says the UNA press release

"Alberta's Liberal opposition immediately criticized the proposals and called on the federal government to penalize Alberta. "There's no question we're headed towards a two-tiered health-care system," said Liberal Leader Kevin Taft. "That just goes against everything that we stand for in Alberta." Government’s “Third Way” Fails to Address Real Health Care Issues, Taft.

The Friends of Medicare, a lobby group fighting privatization of health care, said the new system could allow doctors to line their pockets by pressuring patients."Allowing doctors to charge an extra fee to provide an enhanced system -- a hip or surgery or service -- will create pressure for doctors to oversell to patients," said spokesman Harvey Voogd."It will create a conflict of interest for the patient-doctor relationship."

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation applauded the move, though, saying patients "should have the right to spend their own money on health-care services for themselves and their loved ones." Alberta: better health care for wealthy

Oh there's those taxpayers again, they are a business lobby and of course they think this is great. Right up there with tax breaks. They like the idea that those that can afford to pay for private services should be able to. But boy they hate the idea of making the rich pay for public health care for everyone.

It's an old story, as old as Medicare itself, when Tommy Douglas introduced single payer health care in Saskatchewan and Alberta offered the 'choice' of multiple payer plans. What goes around comes around.

And if that isn't scary enough for those of you on summer vacation how about two tier daycare. Scrap the National Daycare plan the Liberals tried to introduce, Alberta has swung it's own deal for public funding of private service delivery.

Part 2: Daycare

In Alberta the Ralph Regime rolls on, taxing federal tax money to fund private for profit daycare and babysitting services. The impact of the Federal Government funding two tier daycare in Alberta cannot be underestimated for the rest of Canada. CUPE has figured it out, Alberta deal opens the door to big box child care

Be afraid Canada be very afraid, cause what happens here will impact on you too. Conservative provincial governments will adopt the Klein agenda with a me too attitude. Heck even Liberal Provincial governments like those in B.C. and Quebec will follow the Klein lead.

The Liberals began pursuing provincial side-deals after Dryden failed to get all 10 provinces and three territories to sign one deal for national standards.Quebec and Alberta have balked at the plan, saying they don't want Ottawa to dictate to them how to spend the money. CTV News

The Alberta NDP plead;Allow parents to choose high quality, low-cost, non-profit child care - Martin So what happens to all that provincial tax money that funded daycare, will it be used to supplement the federal windfall, I doubt it. More than likely it will be adjusted in the provincial budget and disappear into the general revenues.

And the federal money? Will it be used to fund early education programs? Nah, more than likely it will fund training programs for Baba and Dido to learn how to babysit, as New Brunswick Conservative Preimier Bernard Lord has proposed. Premier advances N.B. position on federal child-care funding With tax credits for the rest of us, which will hardly pay for a years worth of groceries let alone the cost of daycare services.

This is the free choice model of the federal Conservatives for daycare, give parents choice, which just means giving taxpayers back their money, while leaving public day care to dangle by the rope of underfunding.