Deja-vu

Deja-vu

What's the surprise ? This

What's the surprise ? This has been expected as part of the "free trade" and globalization crime wave rackets we've been warning about way back in '88, when we were fighting against the FTA and later the NAFTA, signed in secret by Chretien.

I have all the proofs in my files.

Canada and the whole world has been going downhill ever since, with Harper the culmination of the warfare against human rights logic and decency.

Ed Deak.

This is a low wage

This is a low wage conservative wet dream for the likes of Harper and Clark.

And unfortunately, it's only going to get worse.

Yes. You can smell the racism against "The Chinese" in every thing you read when it comes to "them" exploiting "our" resources. It is "our" government that is allowing "them" such gold plated access to "our" resources. "They" are just taking advantage of "our" stupidity.

I don't think it is racism at all.

It is about the stupidity of a Harper Government. We have had the manifestations of stupidity by Mulroney and Chretien with FTA and NAFTA. You would think that we would learn from our mistakes that trade deals don't have to give away our right to maintain our sovereignty and we don't have to give up the right to control our resources. But no, we have Harperites that want to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Nothing to do with Stupidity

Harper, Clark, Mulroney, Chretien, these aren't stupid people, well, 3 out 4 anyway.

The trade agreements they sign are drafted by very intelligent professionals. These politicians know exactly what they are doing, they have a comprehensive plan for us.

There is no such thing a learning from their mistakes, because these trade deals aren't mistakes. These are delibrate actions devised to take wealth away from the middle class.

Our society is being systematically dismantled, and we're sitting here watching it unfold, polite as church mice.

gragor

I would like to say that I would say the same thing if American interests came into Canada and dictated wages and workers, and controlled our resources...oh wait its already happening!!!
When was the last time there was a Canadian owned and run forestry company...no wonder there is no motivation to keep the raw logs in Canada for processing... then oil/TAR, then onto mining...what a bunch of spineless wimps Canadians are. Other than a few dollars kicked back into govt coffers...how does driving down our wages, and firesaling our resources help us?
Its time for a real movement to take back Canada.
Do we need someone along the lines of Mr Hugo Chavez to step up to the plate in Canada help us take back what is ours?
Sorry for the rant, but this whole thing really gets my goat

It's time for a moratorium

and a temporary suspension on all the agreements that the BC Liberals and the federal Conservatives are signing with the Chinese including the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Act, that is due to come into effect for 31 years starting November 1st. This needs to be discussed by all Canadians before it's allowed to proceed any further.

Apparently this treaty would give Sinopec, one of the big backers of the Northern Gateway pipeline, the right to sue BC if we block the project. It gives them full protection and security from public opposition. It will not require provincial consent. No risk/benefit analysis. It also allows them to insist on using Chinese only labour and material on the pipeline. All they have to do is say the employees require "specialized knowledge".

Anyone who thinks this can't or won't happen need look no further than the press release issued by the United Steelworkers' on October 16th. Steve Hunt, the Steelworkers' Western Canadian Director says postings for new mining jobs in British Columbia reveal the companies involved in operating the mines always intended to hire temporary foreign workers from China while purposefully excluding B.C. and Canadian workers. The "specialized knowledge" in this case? The ability to speak Mandarin.

Hunt says that never in the history of mining in Canada has the requirement to speak Mandarin been mentioned in a job posting.

These agreements are looking less and less about benefiting British Columbians and Canadians than a giveaway of our resources and jobs to foreign companies. They need to stop while a Canadian discussion is underway. And I don't know about the rest of you; but I'm sure getting tired of having to constantly "be on the ball" to ensure that our two levels of government are in fact, looking out for our best interests, as opposed to their own.

I wonder if the Immigration

I wonder if the Immigration Minister is going to impose a head tax on these 'guest-workers'?

Probably not Van Isle.

I rather think Harper will pay then a bonus to come here. I wonder if soon we will all be shipped off to residential schools and be forced to speak Mandarin and be punished if we speak in English.

Intentional Incompetence

Leaving aside the treasonous and ethical issues at the heart of this for the moment, and since these corporate quislings at the helm pride themselves on their so-called business acumen.....where is the return on this deal? If anyone ran a company like this, they would soon be fired for total incompetence, destroying the morale of loyal workers and for bankrupting their own business.

This is very simple arithmetic and this deal makes no sense unless you are a hired quisling using neocon math and awaiting your promised dividend.

sunshine coast girl

Excellent post.....cannot be said better.

Cheap employers all over.

Racism, my ass!
We have Phillipines and Mexicans working for peanuts here, the latest is the WOOFER's who work for free as long as you feed them.

True the employers have to run an ad for canadian workers to fill the spot, before the qualify for the cheap labour. ---- But you can imagine the reception a genuine canadian gets if applying-- they are not wanted because they refuse to work free overtime and accept poor housing and low wages, as they damned well should refuse!

Just About Hourly Rates?

Is it just about hourly rates, or is it about a genuine shortage of skilled labour in the province. The BC Construction Assoc. is currently recruiting skilled trades workers in Ireland, simply because we have been turning out data processors, teachers, health care workers by the truckloads, but precious few trades people.
Contrary to some beliefs you can't turn out a tradesman with a few months of school time, it takes years and years working under qualified journeymen to be competent at a trade.
We are just now waking up to that fact. It is a problem I've seen coming for over 20 years. Fewer and fewer people want to get their hands dirty and the halls of higher learning along with easy student loans have resulted in a whole army of indentured professionals and very few trades people.

jimorsheryl

Actually we've been turning out a lot of tradespeople too but they're having trouble getting jobs. One electrician wrote in to the Globe and Mial about it. Said she and her classmates weren't getting apprenticeships and were having to take service sector employment to get by.

Should be obvious as to why we're lacking journeymen when companies don't want to hire people coming out of trade schools.

Language

And of course we don't have many tradesmen at all that speak Mandarin. So I guess all of our tradesmen will need to apply to a university's Arts faculty where they can learn a new language?

Steven Harper

Doesn't this fit in so well with Steven Harper's secret trade agreement with China?

It fits in very well,

It fits in very well, because,- and this shocks the hell out of the faithful,- the leaderships of communism and capitalism are the same people with the same mindset: control and enslave.

Their beautiful brotherhood in China is the best example. What's the point in spending resources on the military,for alleged "defence", when the country can be bought with imaginary money ?

Ed Deak

I remember years ago

There was a statistic that staed the average training hours companies invested in their employees was a lot higher in Sweden, Japan; Germany etc.

Canada was 7 hours

In 2011: 12.One third of Canadian workers (31 per cent) participate in job-related, non-formal training (compared with the OECD average of 28 per cent). But the number of hours spent in training is relatively low-the average Canadian worker spends 15 hours in job-related, non-formal training per year, compared with an OECD average of 18 hours. In Germany, the average is 26 hours. In Scandinavian countries, adults spend 35-40 hours per year in job-related, non-formal training. See OECD (2011

And then our buiness' say, and are politicians' parrot, there are no trained workers!

Asses!

My post disappeared?

One third of Canadian workers (31 per cent) participate in job-related, non-formal training (compared with the OECD average of 28 per cent). But the number of hours spent in training is relatively low-the average Canadian worker spends 15 hours in job-related, non-formal training per year, compared with an OECD average of 18 hours. In Germany, the average is 26 hours. In Scandinavian countries, adults spend 35-40 hours per year in job-related, non-formal training. See OECD (2011)

Training effort in Canada by business' is pathetic; then cry, and politician's parrot, we need foreign workers!

Politicians orders of wool for citizens' eyes has increased over the years.

values

Our society values wealth and stuff as signs of success. The value placed on blue collar workers? Well our right wing governments have hated those workers for decades now, especially those 'union' ones.
Where we are today is not a surprise at all. Where we are going to be tomorrow isn't either. Look at all the poor, out of work schmuks in the USA who will be lining up to vote for Romney, because he has an economic plan to put America right. That giant sucking sound you hear is wealth being squeezed from the middle class and will just get louder and louder if we continue to elect CONS and Liberals, or right and right-lite.

It's time for a revolution

Someone wrote,"It's time for a moratorium". I say, "It's time for a revolution" and more then just words it is time for action. Words haven't gotten the average Canadian anywhere. We can talk till we are blue in the face and the powers that be look, so concerned to our faces but....... laugh at us behind our backs.

Remember the HST, yes you are right we do still have it in B.C. but unless the Governments are nothing but bald face liars,(wouldn't surprise me if they are) it should soon be abolished. Only hands on action will bring us back from the quicksand we now find ourselves in but it had better be soon or it will be to late.

This is wrong in so many ways but....

"Up to 2,000 Chinese temporary foreign workers at as many as four mines with heavy Chinese investment will be paid less than Caucasian or other workers of different ethnic origins in the mining industry"

Just wondering where else that these jobs could be filled from other than China? The problem exists primarily because Canadians can't be forced to work at a job the do not wish to and because companies do not seem to want to train those that will work.

Farm labour is a prime example, people just don't want to do the backbreaking stuff. Can't say as I blame them but the workers have to be found somewhere. Unlike these miners the going rate for farm workers has not really undercut any previous wages because those have always been low paying jobs.

Be interesting to see a cost-benefit analysis comparing the benefits to the economy of BC by having the jobs payed at the going rate as opposed being heavily discounted. Worksafe BC will probably be able to avoid any payouts for long term disabilities as well.

This smacks, heavily, of both eastern US coal mining of yore and slavery. Bets anyone on who will be running the "company store"?

Frank...........

Like many other 'courses' educators 'sell' they sometimes oversell electricians, which is currently the case. The same thing can be said for health care workers where I live. A friend has been graduated for 6 months, and still has not found work.
The BC Construction Assoc. is saying there is a glut of electricians among other trades right now, so it's a case of supply exceeding demand. As far as hiring apprentices, if you need journeyman, apprentices won't do.
Do you want a journeyman or an apprentice fixing your car???

Hmmm.

Do you want a journeyman or an apprentice fixing your car???

In a proper environment a journeyman will oversee the work preformed by the apprentice; except here, of course, where the employer claims to not being able to afford such "waste of time".

This article and the above

This article and the above posts miss the elephant in the room. Dealing sensibly with GHG and climate change (and getting CO2 down to 350 parts per million vs the current 390) means reducing extraction of fossil fuels, not opening new mines. Arguments about temporary workers fall into the category of arguments about arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

General Strike

when the till stops ringing you will get their attention.
RR