British Columbia Federation of Labour

Labour Federations representing more than 4 million workers in Canada and the United States are warning that the current Western Climate Initiative (WCI) Cap-and-Trade Program will fail to achieve its environmental and economic goals unless changes are made.

In submissions to the WCI, Labour Federations called for provisions to ensure a fair transition to a cleaner economy. This includes a commitment to address the concerns of workers in vulnerable industries. The Federations also called for a carbon tariff to be added to foreign and domestic imports brought into WCI provinces and states. This would stop the loss of manufacturing jobs caused by dirty imports from jurisdictions with lower pollution standards.

Both recommendations were rejected by the WCI.

"We all support moving towards a more sustainable economy," said B.C. Federation of Labour President, Jim Sinclair. "The failure to include these two commitments means the program is unlikely to succeed from an environmental perspective, but it's also less likely to succeed from an economic and political perspective."

The WCI received joint recommendations from representatives of the B.C. Federation of Labour, Ontario Federation of Labour, Quebec Labour Federation, Manitoba Federation of Labour, Oregon AFL-CIO, Washington State Labor Council, and the California Labor Federation.

"Addressing the concerns of workers would not have caused a major shift in direction for the WCI, but it would have been an important signal to our members that their concerns were not being ignored," Sinclair added.

The Labour Federations have requested a meeting with the WCI to discuss their concerns and explore ways they can work towards a sustainable economy.

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For more information contact: Evan Stewart, Director of Communications, B.C. Federation of Labour (604) 430-1421