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This is something all unions, especially the Canadian Building Question:
Trades advocated for. I would hope the next government will find You have said that you are most proud of the assessment and
a way to have the E.I. System, assist workers with travel costs, overhaul of the Employment Insurance system. Given the cyclical
benefitting the employees, the employer and the E.I. fund. nature of construction work, this is a system that directly affects
our members. What additional changes would you like to see in
Question:
the EI system, to allow for the flexibility of cyclical sectors like
The government of Canada, over the last four years, has invested
construction?
significantly in skills training targeted at youth and
underrepresented groups and we thank you for that. What would Rodger Cuzner:
you say, is the next step to address the issue of skills shortage Almost 53% of Atlantic Canada’s GDP is generated by seasonal
that we are seeing now across this country? industries. Tourism, fishing, forestry and construction make up a
large portion of that cohort.
Rodger Cuzner:
One of the greatest challenges is matching jobs with workers and Atlantic Canada has, for a long time, been proud and willing to
workers with jobs. serve as a pool for mobile labour, particularly in the trades. It is
important that when workers find themselves at the end of a job
Mobility has to be central to the solution. I believe both the
or a season, we have a system in place that serves them well.
Employment Insurance Program and the Tax Act can play a role in
We have made changes that reflect a changing workforce but it is
making this happen and I am confident that should we find a
essential that the system continues to evolve with the input of
Liberal Government in charge come October 21st, they will be
both employers and workers.
seized with this opportunity.
Question:
One of my major concerns is around foreign workers. In many
Will you deliver your well-known re-write of ‘Twas the night before
sectors like agriculture for instance, we don’t have an industry if
Christmas’ anywhere else this year?
we can’t get access to foreign labour. But even as Stephen Harper
said in his book "Right Here, Right Now", we can’t use the Rodger Cuzner:
program as a tool to keep workers’ wages down. We must assure My friend Dominic LeBlanc once told me that in politics, there is
that the program guarantees the health and safety of workers and an entertainment tax, and if you use humour too often, you get
does not allow for suppression of wages. My experience shows dismissed as the funny guy. The Christmas poems were a way to
that organizing workers is one way to gain those assurances. have some fun on the last day of the fall sitting before the House
would rise, just to poke fun at some of the issues that would have
Working with the industry, we have to make sure automation is
transpired. The Speaker was always generous with his time and
also central to strengthening their place in the market.
the other parties took them in stride. Not sure if somebody will
pick up the mantel but my time is through.

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