A limited view
Group wants more diversity on recovery council for P.E.I.
Trade Justice P.E.I., a coalition comprised of 17 groups and individuals, has sent an open letter to Premier Dennis King in response to the recently announced Council for Recovery and Growth, which the group says should be reconstituted to reflect a wider diversity of views.
The group is warning against a return to “business as usual”, a model it say wasn’t working for the environment or for workers and people living on small incomes.
The group says representation for essential workers, childcare staff and migrant workers is missing from the interests and backgrounds of the 31 people who have been chosen to come up with an economic plan for recovery.
“The committee as a whole reflects a limited view of what makes up an economy," said member Leo Broderick. "The P.E.I. economy is complex – it’s made of public services, non-profit services and activities, small and large businesses, unpaid domestic labour, resources and ecological services provided by the natural environment and the volunteer sector. We believe a broader range of interests must be represented in the planning process.”
Trade Justice P.E.I. says the crisis also exposed a high level of food insecurity experienced by Island families and that the province’s economic reliance on one or two agricultural products for export hasn’t improved the situation.
In the open letter, Trade Justice P.E.I. is asking the premier to aim for a recovery plan that addresses social and environmental issues and that all decisions in the future be made through lenses of climate change and social equity and Indigenous rights.
“Workers should be involved in this planning process,” says Lou Richard, also a coalition member. “This pandemic has highlighted the importance of public investment – of public services and publicly funded community services. Ee hope to see these included in the recovery plan.”