TORONTO, Feb. 22 /CNW/ - The Canadian Federation of Independent Business
(CFIB) has released the following open letter to Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion
asking that he put the fortunes of the Canadian economy and employment as a
whole ahead of big union interests by opposing Bill C-257.February 21, 2007
Mr. Stéphane Dion, P.C., M.P.
Leader of the Official Opposition
House of Commons OPEN LETTER
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Dear Mr. Dion:
The purpose of this letter is two-fold. Firstly, to raise an important and
urgent issue regarding Bill C-257 - an act to amend the Canada Labour Code
(replacement workers). Secondly, to encourage you to consider meeting with
CFIB in the very near future. As you may know, the Canadian Federation of
Independent Business (CFIB) has been the voice for small- and medium-sized
Canadian businesses for over 35 years. CFIB currently represents over 105,000
business owners, making it the largest individual membership business
organization in Canada. As Canada's small business sector represents about
half of Canada's GDP and employment, it goes without saying that this is a
very important constituency.
Small businesses have many very serious concerns regarding Bill C-257. A
previous letter we wrote to all MPs, which is attached, outlines the nature of
these concerns. If there was any doubt as to the impact a ban on replacement
workers would have on federally regulated workplaces, you need only look at
the drastic impacts the current CN strike is having on the Canadian economy to
get a taste of what would happen if C-257 was passed. The agricultural sector
is reeling from not being able to get their products to market, the
manufacturing sector, which operates largely on just-in-time inventory
systems, is suffering terribly and gas prices are spiking because a major
refinery cannot deliver gas to the retail level, among other negatives. And
this is all happening in an environment that permits replacement workers in
the event of a strike! Imagine the even more devastating impact if replacement
workers were banned.
The NDP and Bloc have stated categorically that they will vote in favour
of this Bill. There is a major opportunity for the Liberal party to take a
true leadership position and oppose the Bill, effectively putting the fortunes
of the Canadian economy and employment as a whole ahead of merely big union
interests. Legislation similar to C-257 has been voted down many times in the
past as the majority of MPs realized it would be very negative for the
economy. The current minority Parliament is placing bad politics ahead of what
is best for Canada's economy and this private members' bill is an excellent
example of this.
Over the past few weeks, we have been speaking with your staff to arrange
a meeting at the first available opportunity. I would hope that we can
accomplish this soon to discuss the urgent need to deal with C-257, as well as
other issues of importance to Canadian small businesses. I look forward to
your prompt reply.
Sincerely,
Catherine Swift
President & CEO
c.c.
Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
Gilles Duceppe, Leader of the Bloc Quebecois
Jack Layton, Leader of the NDP
Attach.
For further information: Holly Bennett at (416) 222-8022
