Morneau Endorsement Rejected

NDDLC statement regarding the endorsement of Morneau for OECD Secretary General

The Nanaimo Duncan and District Labour Council, in accordance with the decision of our November Executive meeting, issues the following statement regarding the endorsement of Morneau for OECD Secretary General:

The Nanaimo Duncan and District Labour Council wholly and completely rejects Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) President Hassan Yussuff’s endorsement of Bill Morneau for Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

It is clear that this decision was made by President Yussuff unilaterally, without consultation with affiliate leaders or a decision of the CLC Canadian Council. We feel that both the endorsement, and the method by which it was issued, demonstrate complete contempt for workers, affiliates, labour councils, and the democratic norms of our movement. This action disrespects our members and all Canadian workers and is unacceptable.

We have not forgotten that the Liberal government, in which Mr. Morneau served as Minister of Finance, introduced Bill C-27, which would allow pension administrators to convert defined benefit pension plans to defined contribution plans. This change would harm the retirement security of workers, and was lobbied for by Morneau-Sheppell, an organization that stood to profit from the reform. Mr. Morneau’s support for Bill C-27 was no surprise given his remarks in a book titled “The Real Retirement,” which he co-authored in 2013. In that book, he comments that “accepting reduced compensation goes against the grain of the labour movement, but it is in the best interests of employees to be open to the idea.”

We also recall how in 2018 that same Liberal government: undermined free collective bargaining and the right to strike by legislating members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers back to work; caused suffering and financial ruin by the mishandling of the still unresolved Phoenix Pay system debacle; attempted contracting out of work through the WE scandal; and more.

We therefore call for the immediate reversal of this endorsement, the resignation of Hassan Yussuff, and express our support for CLC affiliates in taking whatever further steps they deem appropriate through established processes to address what has taken place.