April 4, 2007
New from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
   1. Does the 2007 Federal Budget address inequality and poverty?
      Alternative Federal Budget response to the Federal Budget
   2. Updated list of NAFTA Chapter 11 Investor-State Disputes, compiled by
      Scott Sinclair
   3. In Praise of the Arthurs Report on Canadian Federal Labour Standards,
      by Brian B. McArthur
1. Does the Federal Budget address inequality and poverty?

The Alternative Federal Budget posted a response to the 2007 budget that
assessed the government's announced programs in terms of their ability to
address both poverty and inequality. The AFB response found that both the
taxation and spending measures in the federal Budget were either too small
or too poorly targeted to make any meaningful contribution to addressing
poverty and inequality in Canada. The full report can be downloaded from
the CCPA web site at http://www.policyalternatives.ca

2. Updated list of NAFTA Chapter 11 Investor-State Disputes, compiled by
Scott Sinclair

Scott Sinclair has updated a table summarizing the 46 known NAFTA chapter
11 investor-state disputes to date. There are active claims involving
highly controversial matters against all three countries, especially in the
area of environmental regulation. Foreign investors are also aggressively
challenging measures that governments maintained were not covered by NAFTA.
NAFTA Chapter 11 Investor-State Disputes (to March 1, 2007) is available at
http://www.policyalternatives.ca

3. In Praise of the Arthurs Report on Canadian Federal Labour Standards, by
Brian B. McArthur

In Praise of the Arthurs Report on Canadian Federal Labour Standards by
Brian B. McArthur calls on the federal government to revise Part III of the
Canada Labour Code as recommended by Dr. Harry Arthurs.


Dr. Arthurs, an eminent labour law expert, was appointed by the previous
Liberal government to propose needed changes to the employment standards
section of the Code, which have now gone over 40 years without revision.


As McArthur notes in his paper, these standards are now hopelessly
defective and out of date. Whole categories of workers are excluded from
the legislation; the hours of work and overtime sections are inconsistent
and open to abuse; many standards have fallen below those in provincial
jurisdictions; and compliance and enforcement procedures are woefully
inadequate.


Dr. Arthurs is credited with doing an outstanding job of identifying these
and other flaws and shortcomings and recommending effective improvements.


"In a nutshell," says McArthur, "he has recommended that all workers be
entitled to basic labour standards protection and has remarkably perceived
basic employment rights as human rights. He marks the need for better leave
provisions, calls for stronger enforcement, and argues that both employers
and the broader society, as well as workers, would be better off if his
proposed reforms were enacted into law."


McArthur says that Dr. Arthurs has made a clear case for the adoption of
his report, no matter what political party is in power in Ottawa. "It would
be deeply distressing for these recommendations to be shelved because of
partisan political considerations.


"The present federal government," he added, "should be strongly encouraged
to adopt and implement Dr. Arthurs' recommendations as part of a
modernization strategy for Canadian employment relations. The time is right
to move forward and fix the problems that have plagued labour standards for
many years."


In Praise of the Arthurs Report on Canadian Federal Labour Standards is
available on the CCPA web site at http://www.policyalternatives.ca


--
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
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