British Columbia Federation of Labour

As job losses continue to escalate in British Columbia, the B.C. Federation of Labour is calling on the Campbell government to recall the legislature, select a cabinet and quickly address the deteriorating economy that is causing hardship to thousands of BC workers and their families. 

Figures released today by Statistics Canada show BC lost almost 23,000 jobs in May and 103,000 jobs in the last 12 months.  Although much of the national attention has been on manufacturing job losses in Ontario, BC’s rate of full-time job losses is the highest in Canada.

“The Campbell government has been far too slow to react to the rapidly declining economy,” says Jim Sinclair, President of the B.C. Federation of Labour.  “Premier Campbell’s efforts at stimulus spending have been far too timid and have done little to offset the rapid drop in private sector spending.”

The Federation is calling on the provincial government to:

·         recall the legislature and select a cabinet as soon as possible;

·         present an accurate budget for the province (unlike the government’s February budget which was dismissed as inaccurate by most economists) and include significant stimulus spending in public and human infrastructure;

·         halt plans to shrink the civil service by 10,000 jobs and impose a moratorium on all public sector layoffs;

·         pressure the Federal government to implement changes to the Employment Insurance system that currently leaves thousands of unemployed British Columbians ineligible for benefits or forces workers to turn to welfare when their benefits quickly run out;

·         implement a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy that begins to address the shameful poverty rates in BC, including child poverty rates that have been the highest in Canada for the last six years;

·         raise welfare rates;

·         implement a “BC First” procurement policy to ensure public expenditures stimulate BC’s economy, and;

·         increase the minimum wage to $10 an hour and index it to inflation.

“We are looking at a serious and prolonged economic downturn and so far the Campbell government has responded with half measures and hollow reassurances that they know how to run the economy.  The job loss numbers show a very different story,” Sinclair added.  “Earlier this week we learned that the provincial government may allow hundreds of millions of dollars of construction work on BC Place stadium to leave the province.  Governments around the world are looking out for their workers and its time the Campbell government did the same.”

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For more information: Evan Stewart, Director of Communications (604) 430-1421.