Help Fight Bill C-377

JOURNAL: ISSUE 1 - 2012

Help fight Bill C-377

Go to the BCTD Canada’s new website at www.workersbuildcanada.ca/ to email or fax your MP!

In conjunction with the Canadian Office of the Building and Construction Trades (BCTD), BAC is urging members to contact their Member of Parliament concerning Bill C-377. In its current form, Bill C-377 is an extraordinarily costly and discriminatory Bill, designed and supported by anti union forces to undermine Canada’s labour movement.

Craig Strudwick, Acting IU Regional Director, Canada, says, “We are asking our members to contact their local Member of Parliament to voice their opposition to the Bill C-377. The stakes for BAC and all building trades’ members are tremendous.” Adds Strudwick, “If enacted, C-377 would paralyze the ability of the unionized construction industry to build projects across the country and create jobs.”

Bill C-377 is a Private Member's Bill sponsored by Conservative MP Russ Hiebert. The Bill would require every labour organization such as BAC Local Unions and Provincial Conferences, and every labour trust (pension plan, benevolent fund, training fund, and health and welfare fund), to file detailed financial information with the Canada Revenue Agency. That information, including spending on organizing, collective bargaining, education and training, lobbying and all political activities would also be available online. “Anti-union groups can’t wait to get their hands on that information to combat organizing drives,” says Strudwick.

The new reporting requirements are so detailed and onerous that it is estimated it could take upwards of 400 hours annually to prepare the returns at significant cost to union treasuries.

To contact your MP, go to BCTD Canada’s new website - http://www.workersbuildcanada.ca. You can also find this link and other updates at www.bacweb.org – just click on “Canada” (lower left).”