Employment – mackaycartoons

Wednesday October 2, 2019

October 9, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 2, 2019

Andrew Scheer’s experience in the insurance industry: ‘6 or 7 months’

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has talked for years about his private sector experience as an insurance broker, but under questioning Monday, he admitted he only worked in the industry for “six or seven months.”

September 26, 2019

CBC News asked him exactly how long he’d worked in a Regina insurance office.

“I worked from approximately spring to some time in the fall,” he said, saying he’d have to go back and check his personal records for the exact dates.

CBC News also asked Scheer to clarify exactly what his role was in this office.

He said his job was “supporting the whole team … answering questions from customers and clients and doing preparatory work.” He added that he would also explain and pass on information to people coming into the office.

When CBC News suggested this meant he’d never actually worked as a broker, Scheer said that although he (eventually) received his accreditation under the Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker Program, “at this particular office, the licensed brokers finalized all the transactions.”

Conrad Shenher, who owned the insurance firm where Scheer worked and is now retired, told CBC News in a phone call that he doesn’t remember what Scheer’s duties were because it was so long ago.

May 16, 2012

In response to an earlier question from The Canadian Press, Scheer had said “I left before obtaining the full licence but I did receive that accreditation for general insurance.”

He also said he had many different jobs before being elected, including waiting tables.

When Scheer ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party, the biographical information on his website said he “passed the Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker program and began his working career in the insurance industry in Regina.”

That’s the opposite order of events Scheer now describes.

Derek Lothian, chief executive officer of the Insurance Brokers Association of Saskatchewan, confirmed that Scheer completed a course with the association “that would form part of the eligibility requirements for licensing.”

As of Monday afternoon, Scheer’s biography on the Conservative Party’s web page continued to say that “before entering public life, Andrew worked in the private sector as an insurance broker.” (CBC)

Saturday April 28, 2018

April 27, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday April 28, 2018

Federal program funds summer job to help ‘stop Kinder Morgan pipeline’

As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to vow that the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion “will be built,” his government’s summer jobs program is funding a position with an activist group working to stop the project.

April 19, 2018

A call for applications for an “organizing assistant,” posted online by the non-profit group Dogwood B.C., says the job involves working to help the group’s network “stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline and tanker project.” It notes the position is funded by the federal Canada Summer Jobs Program.

The temporary full-time job is open to students. It pays $15 per hour for 9 to 12 weeks of work and is based in Vancouver.

But according to the organization receiving the funding, this kind of political push-and-pull is nothing new.

Dogwood B.C. said it has received funding for such positions since 2010, under both the Trudeau and Stephen Harper governments. The organization even got the funding when it was fighting the Enbridge Northern Gateway project, which Harper supported.

Kai Nagata, Dogwood’s communications director, said the group isn’t certain yet how many students it will hire with the help of federal funding this year. He said that in past years, students have worked on other projects as well, including one to prevent U.S. thermal coal exports from moving through Vancouver.

“The federal government has never thought to impose its political agenda on kids canvassing in B.C. on environmental issues,” said Nagata, who previously worked as a reporter for both CBC and CTV. (Source: CBC)

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Thursday October 12, 2017

October 11, 2017 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday October 12, 2017

Tough Times for Sears and CRA

Sears Canada workers are feeling confused and angry after learning on Tuesday that the retailer plans to close its remaining 130 stores.

June 23, 2017

If Sears gets court approval, it would start liquidating the stores as early as Oct. 19, putting the retailer out of business and about 12,000 employees out of work.

“Many of us feel frustrated, anger, betrayal,” a Sears manager told CBC News in an email on Tuesday. He and another employee interviewed asked that we not publish their names because they still work for the retailer and fear retribution.

“People don’t know what to do,” said the manager about staff at his location. “Many people went home already as they were physically upset and needed some personal space.”

A Sears memo sent to staff Wednesday said workers will lose their jobs as early as within the next few days, but that some will stay on for a few months. It also explained that employees will lose their benefits as soon as they’re terminated. (Source: CBC)

Meanwhile, The federal government appears to be doing away with a controversial tax policy interpretation that would have seen employees taxed for discounts they get at work.

Amid a growing controversy, a spokesperson for National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier said Wednesday that the government will pull the new wording at the heart of the debate from the Canada Revenue Agency website.

Spokesperson John Power said the CRA made the original decision to change the wording, not Lebouthillier.

“This document was not approved by the minister and we are deeply disappointed that the agency posted something that has been misinterpreted like this,” he said in an emailed statement.

The CRA will hold an internal review on the wording change, which will be followed by a consultation on the issue with industry groups, Power added.

The former wording in the employer’s guide on the issue of employee benefits was to be reinstated as early as Wednesday afternoon. (Source: Toronto Star)

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Friday September 2, 2016

September 1, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday September 2, 2016

Trudeau and Chinese premier explore possible free trade deal

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has brought Canada closer to China after agreeing with the Chinese premier to deepen the countries’ relationships — and explore a possible free trade deal.

After meeting with Trudeau, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told reporters through a translator that Canada and China will launch a feasibility study on an eventual free-trade deal.

A senior Canadian official later said the two countries have ongoing technical discussions on free trade, but stressed that there are no negotiations under way at this point.

“This year marks 45 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and China,” Trudeau said as he stood beside Li in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, which overlooks Tiananmen Square.

“My father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, played an important role in establishing a partnership between our two countries when he was prime minister. So, I’m very happy to be extending that effort now.”

The countries also agreed to hold annual meetings between the Chinese premier and the Canadian prime minister on a range of issues, including national security and the rule of law. (Source: Toronto Star)

Thursday April 24, 2014

April 23, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday April 24, 2014

Service sector sees spike in temporary foreign workers

The number of temporary foreign workers in Canada’s hotel and restaurant sector has exploded under the Conservative government as the latest figures show the industry is the biggest user of the controversial federal program.

Recent allegations of abuse in the program – some involving three McDonald’s franchises in Victoria and others tied to a pizza place in a Weyburn, Sask., hotel – have federal Employment Minister Jason Kenney on the defensive and vowing to crack down on offenders. The minister is also musing about new restrictions that could make it harder for fast-food restaurants in urban areas to access the program.

Mr. Kenney’s spokeswoman Alexandra Fortier told The Globe on Tuesday the minister is planning to announce further changes to the program “in due course” that will go beyond new penalties included in the government’s latest budget bill.

According to data compiled by Mr. Kenney’s department, the number of foreign workers in the “accommodation and food services” sector has grown from 4,360 in 2006 to 44,740, an increase of 926 per cent. The actual number of foreign workers in that category is likely higher because the statistic captures only people working under a federal Labour Market Opinion (LMO), a process meant to ensure that no Canadian workers were available.

There are several ways for employers to bring in foreign workers without an LMO, such as through existing trade deals.

More than 200,000 workers were brought in through LMOs in 2012, but data from Citizenship and Immigration show 491,547 temporary foreign workers either entered Canada or were still present in Canada that year.

NDP MP Jinny Sims said the rise is “outrageous” and shows the need for a major review of the program, especially given that youth – who would be obvious candidates for restaurant jobs – face a 13.6-per-cent unemployment rate. Liberal MP John McCallum wrote to the Auditor-General on Tuesday asking for an audit of the program as soon as possible. (Source: Globe & Mail)

REPUBLISHED in iPolitics, The Thunder Bay Chronicle, The Lamont Leader (Alberta), The Red Deer Advocate, The Calgary Herald, The Melville Advance (Saskatchewan), The St. John’s Telegram (Newfoundland)