New bill not about transparency

A very dangerous piece of legislation is looming in the House of Commons.

Bill C-377 is calling for public reporting of spending by unions and organizations that will appear online at Revenue Canada. This will include members’ health conditions and moneys spent by their employers to provide medical benefits — a clear violation of privacy laws. Who wants their private medical information online for all to see?

This bill claims to be about transparency but I want to make it clear that my union, CAW Local 200, provides all of its members with financial statements at our monthly meetings, as well as membership voting on all purchases over $1,000, a CPA that does our books monthly, and an independent audit monthly.

I feel we couldn’t be any more transparent with our membership.

The most devastating side effect of this Jeff Watsonbacked bill will be that the money it will cost to report to the government will come directly from the money that we currently use to invest in our community charities, which adds up yearly to tens of thousands of dollars. We would much rather give our money to charities than the government but once again, Watson doesn’t care about that. He only wants to ensure that our funds are being viewed by the public.

I hope that union members and organizations in Essex County are smart enough to send a clear message to Jeff Watson that we want our dues money to be spent in our communities, not reporting our finances to the general public.

This bill is another dangerous attempt at controlling public spending. The place I’d like to see transparency the most is in the place where it’s truly lacking — our government.

TRACEY RAMSEY, Belle River