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Beyond that, we want to set an expectation that employers Matt Wayland:
themselves will contribute more to the ongoing training of their You have spoken out against trade deals, including the TPP, citing
employees. We want to ensure that employers are doing their fair them a deal for the few, instead of the many. We live in a world that
share to hire and train apprentices. We also want to innovate the is globalized. What do you propose trade deals must have, to
EI program to allow employees to access retraining resources ensure we put Canadian workers first?
before they are laid off and make it easier for them to access
Daniel Blaikie:
benefits while they are in school.
Trade deals need to have protections for workers and the
Matt Wayland: environment that can actually be enforced. The protections for
Having gone through an apprenticeship yourself, and you sat on corporations and investors have teeth. If you violate them, there’s
Manitoba’s Apprenticeship and Certification Board, you are well a meaningful financial penalty and, in some cases, governments
aware of the value of the apprenticeship training model and the are forced to rescind a law or regulation that is deemed unfair to
need for skills investment. What would you say about government’s foreign corporations. Workers have never had the same level of
– like in Ontario – where there is a dismantling of the apprenticeship enforceable protection in trade agreements.
system and what is your government’s plan to stop this?
The Liberals have patted themselves on the back for adding lots of
Daniel Blaikie: flowery language about workers, but it needs the same teeth as
The apprenticeship model is the way to produce the kind of language for corporations. Chapter 12 of the TPP is a good example.
tradespeople we need for a successful economy. We need to The labour mobility provisions are too easily abused. The language
ensure that apprenticeship ratios are maintained and that should be clearer, government should be receiving more information
apprentices get exposure to the full range of their trade. about who is in Canada under Chapter 12, and they should have
Matt Wayland: an inspection and compliance mechanism set up to ensure that
You tabled an important petition in the House of Commons, on they can find and correct instances where companies are abusing
behalf of lineworkers across Canada to support National Lineworker the provisions to smuggle in temporary workers. Without those
Appreciation Day. Can you tell us why that was important to you? things, the supposedly “labour-friendly” language in the agreement
is just talk.
Daniel Blaikie:
Matt Wayland:
There are a lot of people in the trades working hard and making life
Earlier this year, you did a “Green Jobs Tour”, what did you take
better for people but whose contributions are not always
away from that and as we transition to a greener economy, how do
appreciated. Lineworkers are a great example. When disaster
we ensure workers aren’t left behind?
strikes, power lines are often down and that has a real impact on
people, whether it’s heating their home in the winter, or keeping Daniel Blaikie:
their food from spoiling in the summer. In trying circumstances, The big take away for me was that there is a lot of work for
when people want to be near their families, those folks are out tradespeople in the green economy. Whether it’s newer
braving the elements trying to restore power and get everyone’s technologies, like solar installs, or just more of stuff we’ve been
life back to normal as quickly as possible. I am happy to play a part doing forever, like adding insulation to homes and commercial
in getting some recognition for those workers and their contributions buildings, the transition to a green economy can’t happen without
to our communities. a lot of tradespeople.

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