Now It's Our Turn

This Labour Day in 2012, NUPGE celebrates the legacy of those who came before us and we commit to continue the fight for fairness.

All Together Now! rolls out three new, fact-filled pieces in the continuing fight for income equality.

Advocates see progress during meeting as number of countries backing the Robin Hood Tax continues to grow.  Canadians see need for more pressure on Harper government to join.

Respondents in half of 99 countries surveyed say they do not have confidence in their national governments.

www.labourrights.ca is a valuable research and educational tool for those interested in promoting and protecting labour rights

The Harper government's opposition to the Robin Hood Tax draws criticism from Canada's Occupy movement.

The All Together Now! campaign continues to build a movement in support of quality public services and fighting for tax fairness.

"Our organizations say NO to this agreement, which has been negotiated for the sole benefit of transnational corporations at the expense of people's rights and of the protection of the environment," says the declaration.

National President James Clancy joined protesters in Ottawa to show solidarity and provide support. NUPGE activists share some of their photos from the weekend.

“The Harper government is not speaking on behalf of most Canadians on this issue." - James Clancy, National President, NUPGE

It’s time for true political leaders in Canada to emerge and rise to the challenge of addressing inequality. And the rest of us must be more demanding of our governments to justify their policy choices – will they reduce inequality or make the problem worse?

NUPGE National President James Clancy participates in innovative international Robin Hood Tax campaign video launch and encourages you to join, too.

Gap between incomes of rich and poor has been growing at a faster rate than in the United States since the mid-1990s.  Canada has the fourth largest increase in income inequality among its peers.

Statement calls on the international finance institutions to assume leadership in putting a halt to destructive economic policies and to put job creation at the top of their agenda.  

MGEU/NUPGE President Lois Wales responds to misleading editorial in Winnipeg Free Press.  

Poll finds that 30 per cent of Canadians want Parliament to focus on job creation while only nine per cent want debt reduction or tax breaks as a priority and three per cent want to see action on crime.

Walker calls on the B.C. government to hold meaningful talks on the heels of the HST referendum.

Manitoba provincial P.C. candidate Gord Steeves believes private corporations should take over auto insurance. The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union (MGEU/NUPGE) has responded with a campaign explaining why public insurance is the smart choice for Manitoba families and communities.  

Ottawa is abandoning federal inspection of meat produced for local citizens in BC, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

"At no time in modern British Columbia have corporations earned so much and contributed so little to public revenue." - Jim Sinclair, president, BC Federation of Labour.

Get the latest news and information about the All Together Now! campaign by downloading the most recent newsletter.

“Hopefully this report will gain some traction with the broader corporate community and we’ll have a real conversation as to how to rectify this imbalance, before it’s too late.” says James Clancy, NUPGE national president.

In the face of mounting threats to public services around the world, the Council of Global Unions is launching a campaign to defend and promote the value of public services.  

"Our members across the country support postal workers in their efforts to bargain for a solid and profitable corporation, one that treats its workers with dignity and respect, to serve the best interests of Canadians for decades to come." - James Clancy, NUPGE national president.

“We’re witnessing a concerted effort by the new Harper majority government to weaken the rights of workers and the influence of their unions.”

"We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with CAW members and all Air Canada workers and urge you to show these workers the respect they deserve and negotiate a fair deal, including good pension benefits." - James Clancy, NUPGE national president.

The resolution sets a clear direction for upcoming G20 meetings in France over which Nikolas Sarkozy, will be acting as President.

"If the Harper government were really intent on balancing the federal budget by 2014, they would not be giving tax cuts to corporations to the tune of billions of dollars a year." - NAPE President Carol Furlong.

"Continuing the spiral downward, the loss will in turn affect the overall economies in our struggling rural communities." - Joan Jessome, NSGEU president.

On the heels of a federal budget which gives more tax breaks to corporations but signals cuts to the public service, PEIUPSE launches regional meetings on the Value of Public Services.

“A majority of Canadians want the Harper government to cancel its plan for more corporate tax cuts and instead invest the money in the quality public services families need,” said James Clancy, NUPGE national president.

The concept of a tax "freedom" day has always been a corporate sham to undermine the value of the public sector and public services.

A new report released by the University of Alberta's Parkland Institute takes the conversation to the next level by discussing how we can change our tax system to accomplish that goal.

OPSEU plans to "decommission the Drummond Commission" by fighting for quality public services and tax fairness.

Get the latest news and information about the All Together Now! campaign by downloading the most recent newsletter.

Planning gets underway for public service fightback campaign in Ontario.

Five aspects of policy will affect the day-to-day lives of Canadians.

The real question now is whether or not Canada Post is up to the job to be the innovator the country needs. There is a massive opportunity for CEO Deepak Chopra to make a transformative shift in our postal system. Now is the perfect time for Canada Post to open itself to the future, to invest and expand.

Economist David Macdonald and Ottawa Citizen columnist will be taking your questions about party policies on taxes and public services. Join us at http://alltogethernow.nupge.ca/webcast-apr28

"I believe if Canadians are presented with clear choices in this election, they'll choose the Canada that you and I believe in." - James Clancy, President, NUPGE

“With almost half of all MGEU members working directly for the province of Manitoba, it’s important for members to talk about public services and how these services are impacted by taxation. This is a chance for our members to address these issues and get informed,” said Lois Wales, MGEU president.

Pamphlet urges Canadians to be a “part of Robin Hood’s merry band in our own story of tax fairness.”

“Not one person I’ve spoken to about this campaign has said these cutbacks haven’t hurt them personally or someone they are close to. I’ve always had fire in my belly to make a difference, but this campaign has increased it more.” - Tamara Weber, Champion 4 Change.

Whose Canada? That's the question we want Canadians to think about in this election.

"OPSEU recognizes that the public wants a leader who understands the value of quality public services and is prepared to talk straight about the need to pay for them through a fair tax system. We hope you recognize this as well." - OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas.

All Together Now! conducting town hall meetings and forums across the country to discuss questions of tax fairness, public services and the people who deliver them. Updated!

Class, quiet please. Our word for today is “taxes.” It is not a dirty word, it is a good clean honest noun for a healthy civic function in the body politic.

Whose Canada? That's the question we want Canadians to think about in this election. Is it Stephen Harpers? Or is it yours and mine? This is the second poster in our Whose Canada? series. It deals with the issue of crime and how to make our communities safer. Please share it with everyone you know.

Spending $6 billion on a tax cut to big corporations and up to $30 billion on fighter jets are simply not on the priority list of most Canadians.

There’s more fresh evidence that the Harper government's drive for ever-lower corporate tax rates has not produced the job creation payoff that the Conservatives have been promising.

"This downsizing fails to address the devastating impact of failing to fill vacancies for our members and the vital services they provide," says NSGEU/NUPGE

The pretense for the attacks is that state governments are broke and radical measures are required to eliminate budget deficits. This is a false argument.

"We may be retired but we are huge in voter numbers so we are pleased to see how the efforts of NUPGE to reach out have been so successful. Grey power may not rule, but it sure does have an impact." Dave and Bonnie Scott, winners.

“How can the government identify Children’s Aid as a source of savings at a time when programs for abused and neglected children need a major infusion of cash just to keep afloat?” - Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU president.

The speech entitled “Tax cuts, political ideology and corporate profit: Who’s footing the bill” will examine the current economic situation in Canada.

Small GIS increase to go only to those seniors with less than $2,000 income a year.

"We can’t keep cutting social workers, highways workers, educators, and health care workers without putting public health and safety at risk,” says SGEU President Bob Bymoen.

We’ve worked hard to build support for tax fairness, public services and public employees. The only people standing in our way are the Harper Conservatives in Ottawa.

"Tax fairness has been flipped upside down in this country,” said Clancy. “Instead of billion dollar give-aways to corporations, the government should invest the money in the public services that ensure a decent quality of life for all Canadians.”

Lowering corporate taxes provides just 20 cents of growth for every dollar of tax cut. That compares to $1.40 per dollar growth from income support for unemployed and low-income Canadians and $1.50 per dollar growth from infrastructure investment.

Voluntary disclosure will allow wealthy Canadians to pay less than they owe the public treasury.

'We will vigilantly monitor any moves by the McGuinty Liberals to ensure that this ‘restructuring’ doesn’t involve revenue-generating, publicly-owned corporations being stripped away from the people of Ontario.'

'People across the country and around the globe are looking to trade unions and other civil society groups to promote an alternative economic program.' - James Clancy.

“The really outrageous thing is that the banks are still talking about this as if they were unlucky… That’s rubbish. It’s like drinking a bottle of vodka, tying a scarf over your eyes and trying to run down Georgia street then complaining that you are unlucky when you get hit by a taxi.”

“We can rebalance society and limit markets. Organizations around the world are finding new and exciting ways to describe the world’s worth.”

Delegates at national union convention say no government fiscal decisions should widen income inequality or diminish access to public services.

Enthusiasm from Europe spreads to Canada in advance of G20 meetings planned for Toronto in June.

'Public employees are being asked to make a contribution of $750 million towards a $3.6-billion tax cut for large corporations.' - Larry Brown, NUPGE's national secretary-treasurer.

'I'd also be willing to pay a little more on my income tax, and even a boost in corporate taxes might be palatable for the short term.' - CEO Chad Ulansky.

'We will be creative in negotiating agreements that preserve public services and defend our members’ rights at the same time.' - Warren (Smokey) Thomas.

'There is absolutely no justification for government slashing jobs in the public service when the net result will be a loss in vital services.' - Bob Bymoen.

Government employees bear brunt of deficit fight, including call for two-year wage freeze.

"This is an idea that NUPGE has supported for a long, long time." - NUPGE president James Clancy.

'There simply is no viable way to cut public sector spending that doesn’t have a direct negative effect on the private sector.' - Larry Brown, NUPGE's national secretary-treasurer.

Does not go nearly far enough to create jobs and help struggling families, says NUPGE president James Clancy.

'Public and community services are key to making sure that the economy recovers quickly and that everyone in British Columbia shares in the economic recovery.' - Darryl Walker.

'We need to arm ourselves as never before with information that will help us make the best decisions for our families.' - James Clancy.

(11 Feb. 2010) - The top priority for the upcoming federal budget must be to preserve and create good jobs. The budget should also invest in building a healthier, smarter, greener and more secure Canada, says NUPGE president James Clancy.

'What Oregonians said today is they believe in public education and vital services.'

Ontario unions launch Communities That Work media campaign in advance of new Ontario budget in March.

New CCPA study says top 100 Canadian CEOs pocketed 174 times each what average Canadian workers earn all year.

(16 Dec. 2009) - 'We need a National Pensions Summit that provides Canadians from all walks of life with an open forum to fairly explore and assess the viability of all options designed to improve retirement security for all Canadians.'  - James Clancy.

James Laxer: 'Labour is the source of wealth ... the sustainable well-being of wage and salary earners should be the central objective of economic policy.'

British study evaluates the real contribution of various jobs to society.

NUPGE publishes the first of three reports on ideas that emerged from a series of 26 town hall meetings across the country to assess the way forward from the global economic collapse.

NUPGE's Larry Brown says tax cuts benefitting mainly the wealthy are the cause of current government deficits and it will be unfair and damaging to the economy if public sector workers become scapegoats and are forced to pay the price in lost jobs and pay cuts.

(22 Oct. 2009) - NUPGE president James Clancy says Canada needs serious tax reform. But he says the new HST in Ontario and BC unfairly targets working families and should be cancelled. Instead, Canada must look at restoring fairness to its tax system by cancelling the Harper government's planned corporate tax cuts and by creating new tax brackets at the top for the wealthiest Canadians.

'Over the long term, every $1 invested in quality child care programs returns $2.54 in benefits to society.' - CCAAC.

'The OECD recently reported that Canada has the second highest rate of jobless people living in poverty in the OECD.  But the Harper government's proposed EI reforms will only benefit the "deserving" few.' - Larry Brown.

The minimum wage has not been changed in British Columbia for the past eight years.

Gap between top 1% and bottom 90% now worse than at any time since 1928.

(31 Aug. 2009) - 'I ask you to reflect on the victims of this powerful recession and to speak out for the changes that our government must make if we are to build a better world for ourselves and our families.'

Rolling in massive profits again after taking billions in public bailout measures.

(2 June 2009) - Canada's social infrastructure is starving for funds despite right-wing lies about the cause of Jim Flaherty's projected $50 billion deficit.

'We need serious reforms that improve access to the EI program and enhance benefits in order to help families who are reeling from this economic crisis.'

'They’re repeating the same old tired myths about what caused the current crisis and what should be done.'

(24 May 2009) - As long as Harper and his cabinet let the big banks write the rules, we'll continue to have a financial system that's good for them and bad for everyone else.

As the number of unemployed grows the National Union is demanding the federal government move quickly to fix the Employment Insurance program.

(Jan 27, 2009) -- 'Everyone except the prime minister seems to understand that big problems require bold solutions. Canada needs a large-scale fiscal stimulus.'

(Jan 23, 2009) -- 'The Harper government thinks we have to choose either a strong economy or a clean environment. This is a false choice that sells our country short. We can and must have both.'

'In tough times it is important that our governments show leadership and make smart policy choices that are in our long term interests,' say James Clancy and Peter Olfert. 

'Frontline public sector workers were in Ottawa recently to urge the federal government to make public services and social programs a priority in the Jan. 27 federal budget.'

Canadians want greater investment in public services for families. A new poll indicates citizens will back stimulus measures that support — not cut — government services.

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is calling on the federal and provincial governments to work together on a 5-point plan that would stimulate the economy and at the same time enhance Canada's social foundations and improve the environment.

(Dec 5, 2008) -- 'We've got an extremely rare opportunity right now to make progressive change in Canada -- to force our governments to deliver a plan that will ensure a strong economy, fair society and clean environment for all of us.'

'Mr. Harper is completely out of step with other world leaders who understand the need for new government spending in order to stave off a deepening recession.'

'The Harper government made it clear in the fall economic update that they are going to legislate away fundamental human rights, such as the right to collective bargaining and the right to equal pay for work of equal value.'