“Invasive” bill will hobble unions

C-377 divides Harper backbenchers, called unenforceable.

by Samantha Bayard and Ish Theilheimer

OTTAWA, October 30, 2012, Straight Goods News — The NDP today attacked a private
member's bill intended to hobble trade unions with costly paperwork and invasive demands.

Ross Hiebert's Bill C-377 would force labour organizations, big and small, to disclose exhaustively detailed spending information to the government — which would drown many of them in paperwork.

Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie) said in the House that the bill
will be an administrative nightmare and invasive to privacy. He said even
Hiebert's fellow Conservatives, including MP Brent Rathgeber (Edmonton-
St.Albert) don't support the bill. "Does the Minister of Labour agree with his
colleague from Edmonton-St. Albert to say that this bill is just crappy [official
translation] and will oppose the creation of this bureaucratic monster?"

NDP leader Thomas Mulcair told SGN the bill is "One of these
stunts that the Conservative backbenchers love to bring forward. But once you
look at it in the cool light of day, you realize, holy smokes, look what’s in here!

"This is a mess! It’s never going to be enforceable, it’s never going to be
applicable  Again, we’ve seen the Conservatives year after year, time after time,
come up with these stunt bills to try to please their Reform Party base."

Tom Mulcair calls Bill 377 a stunt

 

© Copyright 2012 Ish Theilheimer and Samantha Bayard, All rights Reserved. Written For: StraightGoods.ca