Union-only edict doesn’t fly

In this day and age it’s difficult to comprehend the B.C. NDP’s decision to restrict government infrastructure projects to unionized workers. It has been explained in terms of improved apprenticeship training for construction employees, but it’s well understood that it’s first and foremost a reward to the unionized sector for its financial support of the party, similar to NDP behaviour in the 1970s and 1990s.

But there’s the rub. Due to recent technical advances, our 21st-century society is already dramatically different from the NDP’s initial time in government and even from their 1990s’ stint. With increased sources of information and easy access to enhanced communication channels, our citizenry has become far more astute in critically assessing the motives and actions of governments, corporations and individuals.

It stands to reason that the well-read farmer in the province’s countryside, the pensioner on Vancouver Island and the young techno-entrepreneur in New Westminster may all be questioning whether restricting access to government construction projects to a mere 15 per cent of qualified available bidders, and creating a government department to oversee the process, is a fiscally responsible way to address public labour management and the stewardship of taxpayers’ money.

Allan Hoegg, Vancouver