FFAW-Unifor releases report card on federal party commitments
October 13, 2015
10/13/2015
FFAW-Unifor has released its report card on the commitments of the federal parties on issues of importance to Union members.
“This election is particularly important to our members and their families,” FFAW-Unifor President Keith Sullivan stated. “We are at a sensitive time for workers, especially those in the fishery, and we have to make sure that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador receive the maximum benefit from the resource in our adjacent waters.”
The report card was based on responses from the federal parties to a series of questions posed by the FFAW in September. “We wanted answers to particular questions and not just vague statements,” Sullivan said. “The more definitive the commitment, the higher the grade.”
Overall, Sullivan was encouraged by the responses that were provided. “The Liberals and NDP provided detailed responses and specific commitments. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Harper declined to reply.”
The questions posed to the federal party leaders touched on a variety of issues, from abolishing last-in first out to protecting the integrity of the owner-operator fleet to rolling back recent cuts to the Coast Guard. The NDP, for example, received high marks for its commitment to adjacency in the northern shrimp fishery and to improving Coast Guard service off the coast of NL, while the Liberals received ‘A’ grades for committing to both honour the $280 million fishery renewal fund as part of CETA and to roll back the Conservatives’ changes to the EI system.
Sullivan says he is committed to informing the FFAW’s membership of the federal leaders’ positions on issues important to union members. “A copy of the report card was mailed out to 12,000 FFAW members at the beginning of October. The report card clearly sets out, on an issue by issue basis, where each party stands on the questions we asked.”
The FFAW report card and letters to parties can be found here.
For media inquiries, please contact Courtney Pelley at cpelley@ffaw.net or at 709-743-4445.