Labour

  • No Competition, Please. We’re Canadian.

    No Competition, Please. We’re Canadian.

    Peter Menzies

    August 14, 2019

    Whether it’s air travel or Internet, the time-honoured Canuck reflex is to boldly pacify the masses with the security blanket of quasi-monopolies, contends Convivium contributor Peter Menzies.  

    Those of us once housed snugly within Gatineau’s mid-century Soviet architecture just across the Ottawa River from the Parliament buildings were disappointed recently to read smug comments on social media regarding the Competition Bureau’s ...

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  • The NDP’s Anti-Labour Paradox

    The NDP’s Anti-Labour Paradox

    Peter Stockland with Brian Dijkema

    July 27, 2018

    Cardus’ director of Work and Economics made waves on Canada’s West Coast this month with a report critiquing the B.C. government’s move to let only unionized construction companies bid for major infrastructure projects. But, Brian Dijkema tells Convivum, the policy will cost taxpayers billions, punish workers, and risk damage to democracy itself.

    Convivium: In terms of what's going on in B.C. right now, their changes to their tendering policies seem to be swimming against the tide. You point out in Skimming Off the Top: How Closed Tendering Weakens Our Ability to Pursue the Publ...

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  • Workers Present

    Workers Present

    Brian Dijkema

    July 5, 2016

    Cardus Work and Economics Program Director Brian Dijkema reflects on the opportunity that construction season provides us to celebrate the "vast array of talents and skills that it takes to keep a country and its economy functioning." 

    Virtually no one in Canada can drive to the cottage or campsite without coming across a sign like this:

    ...

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  • An Enabling Economy

    An Enabling Economy

    Brian Dijkema

    March 4, 2014

    Last week, Cardus's program director for Work and Economics, Brian Dijkema, sat down with the CEO of Christian Horizons, Janet Nolan, to talk about labour shortages, productivity, and the surprising economic and community benefits that come when disable...

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  • Bad Medicine For Trade Unions

    Bad Medicine For Trade Unions

    Brian Dijkema

    May 6, 2013

    We expect this type of response from those on the farthest and most loony left—think Sid Ryan, head of the morally and financially bankrupt Ontario Federation of Labour—but I'm always puzzled when those who traditionally look more skeptically on the state's use of coercive power take up the same tune.

    There is nothing like the topic of unions to bring out people's unquestioning love of the state. Whether you're on the right or the left, the problem of unions—whether we want more or less of them, or whether they should have more or less influence—is almos...

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  • Less Power, More Flourishing

    Less Power, More Flourishing

    Brian Dijkema

    March 22, 2013

    Charlie Brown always thinks he's going to kick the ball, but Charlie Brown always ends up falling on his back. He's never really out of the game, and he's always keen to try again—but each time he falls. Canadian unions are always up for another try. However, like Charlie Brown, there is a sense of predetermination, of inevitability in each try.

    ...

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  • Labour Storms

    Labour Storms

    Brian Dijkema

    September 14, 2012

    It's hard to think critically and carefully about strikes. Typically, the response to a strike is rather simple: are you for it, or against it? And, it's often personal: are you with us, or against us? But how would one even go about deciding if you are for or against a strike?

    Teacher strikes in Chicago, work-a...

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  • Reinvigorating Unions

    Reinvigorating Unions

    Ray Pennings

    August 16, 2012

    Last week's announcement of a proposed merger between the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) is certainly a bold move. Choices had to be made whether the future of unions rested in focusing on the nuts and bolts of grassroots collective bargaining or by taking on the bigger social questions of the day.

    Leading a union in today's environment of declining union numbers is not a job for the timid.

    Last week's announcement of a proposed merger betw...

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  • Christian Labour as Competitive Advantage

    Christian Labour as Competitive Advantage

    Robert Joustra

    March 2, 2012

    Think about religion: God is back, say the pundits, and there is more than enough evidence to prove it. But three questions immediately follow: 1) how? 2) where?, and 3) is it a good thing?

    There are a lot of good reasons to be a Christian labour union, none of which are tied to being competitive or being efficient. But I think two overlapping trends in the next decade(s) will actually turn what has been a liability—a religious designation—int...

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  • Ignoring a Key Reason for the Decline of Unions

    Ignoring a Key Reason for the Decline of Unions

    Brian Dijkema

    February 16, 2012

    A discussion paper released by the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and the Communications Energy and Paper Workers (CEP) suggests that unions are "fac[ing] an enormous and historic moment of truth." While Canadian unions are known for their overuse of hyperbole, the list of problems they themselves provide suggests the problem is genuine.

    Canada's unions are in trouble, but what is to be done?

    A discussion paper released by the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and the Communications Energy and Paper Worke...

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