MP criticism rife with ‘hypocrisy’

Re: ‘Postal Supporters Upset with Local MP,’ Cape Breton Post letter to the editor, Jan. 22.

The hypocrisy in the above letter is just too blatant to ignore. Among the authors are a failed provincial Progressive Conservative candidate and his campaign manager as well as known NDP supporters who seem to forget their respective parties’ records on back-to-work legislation.

Parties of all stripes have used backto-work legislation. The Harper Conservatives introduced back-to-work legislation a record four times and threatened the use of it on two other occasions between 2011 and 2015.

Provincial NDP governments have also limited workers right to strike over 15 times, including right here in this province when the Dexter government took away paramedics right to strike in 2013.

I believe the Trudeau government tried to legislate a fair process for both the postal workers and the company after year-long negotiations and a fiveweek strike failed to get a deal. It was nothing like Harper’s 2011 one-sided imposed agreement where he legislated a lower wage than what the union and management had already agreed upon. He forced the arbitrator to only look at the financial considerations of the company and not the workers.

In comparison, the Liberal legislation requires the arbitrator to not only consider the company issues, but ones important to workers as well, including health and safety and equal pay for work of equal value.

Local MP Rodger Cuzner has always been a supporter of workers’ rights and his government has walked the line on repealing many of the Harper anti-union measures and created laws that have further protected workers like banning asbestos.

I think Canadians want their elected representatives to be fair and balanced, not blind and partisans for one side or another. With the Canada Post legislation, I think the government and Cuzner got the balance right.