Local leader calls out feds on failed promises
Speakers at annual gathering highlight unions’ victories, challenges still faced
Imagine being sick and going to the doctor for a prescription, only to “crumple it up and throw it on the damn ground.”
That’s what Brian Hogan, president of the Windsor and District Labour Council, asked a crowd of more than 5,000 to envision Monday during Windsor’s annual Labour Day parade and festivities. Pharmacare and NAFTA renegotiations were the focus of remarks by union representatives and local politicians.
“Work is valued at times and sometimes it’s not, by government policies or by employers,” Hogan said.
“So we come out here to say what have been our victories and what have been our challenges for our workers and our community. Aside from talking about the workplace, we talk about a better world, a better community.”
The meaning of Labour Day isn’t as well known as it once was, said Michael Malott, chairman of the Labour Day events.
“You could probably ask any youth here the meaning of Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter, but a lot of people really don’t understand Labour Day,” Malott said.
“Labour Day is the day that the federal government set aside for labourers to celebrate the gains that they’ve made, in regards to the eight-hour work day, benefits, pensions, compensation.”
Malott said labour unions are “constantly” putting pressure on provincial and federal governments to establish pharmacare for every Canadian, something Hogan stressed in his speech.
“We’re the lone western country with universal health care and no pharmacare attached,” Hogan said. “Almost four million people have to decide, do I have food or meds?”
Hogan also called out the federal government for failing to meet promises of electoral reform and restoring door-to-door Canada Post mail service.
“Now we got a prettier and a nicer-speaking prime minister,” Hogan said.
“But ask our MPs about real change: election reform, reneged. What about postal delivery, is he going to renege on that?
“It’s easy to look good — and by the way, his record is terrible — but he looks good because of the guy across the water.”
Hogan said that considering local issues while writing his speech left him “down in the dumps.”
“I think I’m gonna, every day, walk to Jackson Park,” he said. “Apparently, there’s a show to behold in only three months from now.”
But Hogan said there are bigger issues than the $3 million allocated for holiday lights in Jackson Park, such as “inconsistent priorities, lack of transparency, a sense of favouritism, lack of leadership, lack of teamwork.
“Six to five vote every time; that’s not a team, that’s not what we want,” he said of city council.
With the Ontario provincial election in June and municipal elections in less than 14 months, Hogan said the labour council will assess possible candidates soon.
“We can’t always just say, city is doing something wrong, Liberals are doing something wrong,” he said.
“We have to come up with solutions: what is a better way of doing things?”
Tracy Ramsey, MP for Essex and NDP critic for international trade, turned talks to North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiations in her speech.
“We’ve bled jobs out of our country, we’ve bled jobs out of this county,” Ramsey said.
“And I can promise you that going into a NAFTA renegotiation, I will be bringing all your voices and fighting as hard as I possibly can, for working people to be front and centre in any renegotiation of this deal.”
Ramsey said that on Sunday, Mexican workers took to the streets to protest inequalities they’ve faced under NAFTA.
The same should happen in Windsor, she said.
“We are going to have to rise up once again,” Ramsey told the crowd.
“Many of the people that are here right now, today, fought 23 years ago against what we knew NAFTA would mean for working people in communities. And we’re going to have to do the same thing again.”
Ramsey encouraged labour to bring their voices to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, to “send a strong message,” she said, “that working people will not continue to be an afterthought in trade agreements.”