Federal Fair Wages Policy Still Needed

Canada still needs a Federal Fair Wages Policy, after the previous policy was eliminated by the Conservative government of Stephen Harper in 2012. 

In the lead up to the 2015 election, Justin Trudeau promised a new policy would be enacted but to date it has yet to be done. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is running a campaign to press for action on this issue before the next election. Their petition is available to sign HERE. 

The VDLC is supporting this campaign, and passed the following recommendation to that effect at our February regular meeting: 

Subject:  Federal Fair Wages Policy

BECAUSE the previous Federal government under Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party eliminated the Fair Wages and Hours of Labour Act as part of its omnibus budget bill in 2012; and

BECAUSE this legislation covered contractors and subcontractors in the construction, remodeling, repair and demolition industries, which represent close to $25 billion in federal government spending every year; and

BECAUSE fair wage policies help ensure that federal projects use contractors who consistently pay a fair wage and adhere to employment standards and labour laws, and this is also shown to enhance productivity and increase the likelihood of timely and predictable completion of contracts; and

BECAUSE the federal government has just completed a public consultation related to this, and must now act on its commitment during the 2015 election to address this issue,

THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL support the call of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and others for the federal government to restore its fair wages policy.