About the Gathering StormEveryone is still talking about Carney's trip to the European Parliament, but we're also starting to move on toward what will likely be a more fractious fall parliamentary sitting.
The Globe and Mail reports:
Prime Minister Mark Carney promised sweeping new economic legislation and a punishing pace this fall as his caucus met in Ottawa ahead of Parliament’s return on Monday....
Mr. Carney said the legislation – which he called the Building Canada Strong Act – is the next phase of his government’s promise to speed up infrastructure and other projects.
...Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon told reporters the bill will include changes to the Canada Labour Code, measures to improve supply chains, and the next steps in the government’s promise to reduce regulatory reviews for all projects to one year...
A promise of faster assessments was one of several Mr. Carney made earlier this week to hundreds of executives at the global investment summit in Toronto. He also announced a major new tax deduction to spur investment and a plan to open up four major airports to private investment...
I suspect some of this will be controversial, and might even be changed before it gets passed. But I would also expect that Carney wants it done and proclaimed before Christmas.
Before I share other comments, I wanted to expand on a comment of my own, that I made on my post last night.
First, I suspect that I will end up agreeing with some of the criticism we will be hearing in the next month about Carney's proposed legislation - in particular, I don't like the idea that a single minister would have the authority to end a strike, and I don't understand how unions could still retain the right to strike if they are required to submit to binding arbitration before a strike vote could even be taken.
In particular, I know there are long-standing grievances, like the flight attendants' pay issues, that will only be recognized as problematic and resolved when unions retain the right to strike.
But second, I am old now - I've seen a lot over the years and I think I have a wider perspective on Canadian issues.
When I was growing up, women couldn't have their own bank accounts. Nobody ever paid any attention to the environmental costs of building anything, much less ever consulted with Indigenous communities about anything. Unions were mainly for the working classes, and "professionals" thought themselves too white-collar for collective bargaining.
In fits and starts, sometimes one step back then two steps forward, Canada has advanced well beyond such outdated beliefs and practices. We're not going back, now or never.
But these are dangerous times.
There has never been such a time in my life, when Canadian sovereignty has been so perilous, so endangered by a madman with an army who has neither principles nor prudence.
Yes, all of Canada's issues about labour rights and economic development and consultation do need discussion and yes, they will get dealt with, like we've done for the last 60+ years.
But maybe not right now.
Not when Canada is facing such a risky time.
Canada is now in
The Gathering Storm. We need a leader like Carney with a single-minded focus on our sovereignty.
I believe that everything in Canadian society must now mobilize to this focus too - union legislation, environment, business, development, all of it.
Someday we might be able to argue "Whither Canada?" again - improving labour fairness, economic consultation, greater environmental protection, and so forth.
But we need to get through the next two+ years intact.
