Patterson, Russell, Barlow, Wilson
The Vancouver Sun reports, “MPs were still going Friday morning after an all-night debate filled of periods of both bluster and calm as the parties argued over whether 50,000 locked-out Canada Post workers should be legislated back to work to kick-start the country’s mail service. And there’s no telling just yet when the debate will end. …The overnight debate in the House saw an appearance by Prime Minister Stephen Harper around midnight and other cabinet members at various times. MPs took shifts, spelling each other for the marathon session.”
CTV adds, “Members of Parliament, who should have started their summer break on Thursday, were alternating between sleeping in their Parliamentary offices and sitting in Commons for six-hour shifts. The NDP calls the bill unfair and is accusing the Harper government of bullying Canadian workers. The NDP say they will be carrying on the debate for as long as they can and they are putting forward all of their 103 MPs. With 10 or 20 minute speeches and time for questions and answers, that could drag the debate into the weekend. The NDP cannot stop the legislation because of the Conservative majority. The Conservatives have opted not to accept any proposed amendments to the bill from the opposition parties.”
Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow, Board member Fred Wilson, deputy political director Tory Russell and I were on Parliament Hill this morning to demonstrate our solidarity with the filibuster, our support for CUPW, and our opposition to the Harper government’s back to work legislation.
In a recent open letter, Maude Barlow wrote, “I am writing on behalf of the tens of thousands of members of the Council of Canadians from coast to coast to express our solidarity with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. …The concessions that Canada Post is refusing to back down on would be a worrying step toward privatization, and we commend your efforts to defend and expand mail delivery in Canada as a crucial public service.” To read Maude’s letter in full, please go to http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/12989/la_id/1.htm. To read Fred Wilson’s blog on the political significance of the back to work legislation, please go to http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/fwilson/2011/06/message-harper%E2%80%99s-back-work-law-against-cupw-labour-will-be-put-its-pl.
