Attend the BC Young Activist Summit

OurTurn2011 is a one day summit of young activists, trade unionists, environmentalists, students and leaders who want to create better workplaces, better communities and a better world.

It is free to attend

B.C. Federation of Labour Supports Occupy Wall Street

The Occupy Wall Street movement expresses an underlying desire for fairness and equality in the economy and our society. The B.C. Federation of Labour stands in solidarity with that desire, and calls on the governments of British Columbia and Canada to act swiftly and decisively to narrow the gap.

Members of the B.C. Federation of Labour will gather at the Vancouver Art Gallery at 12:00 noon, Saturday, October 15, in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement’s call for good jobs, fair taxes and strong public services.

Click Here to Retweet the BCFED's Statement

B.C. FEDERATION OF LABOUR STATEMENT ON OCCUPY WALLSTREET

Global economic uncertainty is shining a bright light on the rapidly growing gap between rich and poor in North America and around the world. In the United States, the consequences have been widespread and severe. Real unemployment is approaching 20 per cent. People are losing their homes to foreclosures. And, for the first time in generations, few young Americans believe their lives will be as prosperous and secure as their parents.

Here, well paying jobs, fair taxation and strong public services built the Canada we know and love. For 20 years across Canada, however, real wages have stagnated, the richest Canadians and corporations have avoided billions in taxes, and successive governments have weakened public services. This has created a gap between rich and poor not seen in generations, and the gap is widening.
The Conference Board of Canada has identified that Canada had the second largest rate of income inequality growth among peer nations from the mid-1990’s to the mid-2000’s.  Clearly, the same conditions that have lead to Wall Street exist in Canada as well.
In British Columbia, a decade of tax cuts for the richest British Columbians and corporations combined with stagnant wages for average income earners have left British Columbia families struggling to make ends meet and nervous about their futures. As the cost of living has increased, household debt has piled up and savings eroded. This has got to stop.

The Occupy Wall Street movement expresses an underlying desire for fairness and equality in the economy and our society. The B.C. Federation of Labour stands in solidarity with that desire, as part of the 99 percent, and calls on the governments of British Columbia and Canada to act swiftly and decisively to narrow the gap. The BC Fed will support an ongoing peaceful occupation in Vancouver on these important issues.

Click Here to Retweet the BCFED's Statement

OurTurn2011 is a one day summit of young trade unionists, students, environmentalists, and social justice activists put on by the B.C. Federation of Labour November 2011 in Vancouver BC.