Conservatives' return to Ottawa would harm workers, says FTQ

Pierre Vallée
Special collaboration October 26, 2024

Photo: Adrian Wyld The Canadian Press The rise of Pierre Poilievre's Conservative Party in voting intentions remains a mystery to Magali Picard, president of the FTQ.

This text is part of the special issue Syndicalism

If the polls hold, Canadians are set to elect the Conservative Party led by Pierre Poilievre as head of the federal government in the next election. This prospect seriously worries Magali Picard, president of the Fédération des travailleurs et des travailleuses du Québec (FTQ).

“Pierre Poilievre is an intelligent man and, therefore, a fine politician,” she admits. “He presents himself as an ordinary guy whose primary virtue is common sense. But common sense is not a plan. And he remains vague when it comes to his political platform and how he will go about achieving it.”

Indeed, on the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) website, there is no such thing as a conventional political platform. On the other hand, there are some election promises, such as cutting taxes, ending government spending, at least that attributed to the current Liberal government, and reducing the size of government.

“Cutting government spending,” Magali Picard continues, “for me, translates into austerity. And austerity increasingly harms the least well-off in society. Lowering taxes ? For whom ? The richest too ? Reducing the size of the government also means reducing services offered to the population. None of these proposals seem favourable to workers.”

The past guarantees the future

According to Magali Picard, voters unfortunately too often have short memories. After ten years of Liberal governance, supported by the NDP, she believes that we have collectively forgotten the years of Conservative governance under Stephen Harper.

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“It was under the Harper government that the idea of ​​raising the retirement age from 65 to 67 came up,” she recalls. “A measure that was very detrimental to workers, who had worked hard all their lives and whose early retirement at 65 was anything but a whim.”

It was also under the Harper Conservative government that the decision was made to reduce the amount of the tax credit granted to labour-sponsored funds. “This measure made it even more difficult for low-income and middle-class workers to save for a personal pension fund so as not to depend solely on public plans and thus build a more comfortable retirement. Fortunately, these two measures were cancelled when the Trudeau government came to power.”

She also notes that under the Harper government, many measures were primarily ideological, not economic. “It’s the ideology of every man for himself,” says Magali Picard, “without regard for the needs of minorities and the most disadvantaged. Right-wing governments, as we can see, tend to favour the 1% of society rather than the middle class and workers.”

Why then is the CCP so popular??

She admits that the CCP’s rise in voting intentions remains a mystery to her. “I simply don’t understand. Is it a kind of nonchalance on the part of the citizen?? Do they take for granted the social advances they enjoy today, telling themselves that they can never disappear?? This is true until the worst happens. »

There is of course the wear and tear of power that Trudeau’s Liberal Party is suffering from. “I understand very well that some citizens are fed up with the Trudeau government and are desperate for a change at the head of government. And Pierre Poilievre very skillfully feeds this feeling of frustration. But should we give in to it? ?”

According to Magali Picard, nonchalance and frustration are very poor advisors on which to base a political choice. “Shouldn't we base our political choice on the party whose public policies are favorable to the entire population, the majority of which are workers and the middle class? ? Let's take the example of Canadian dental insurance, which today benefits a good number of citizens. Pierre Poilievre refuses to reveal his position. Will he abolish it or reduce its scope? ? We don't know. Do we really want to give him power and thus risk losing this social advancement? ? I hope not.”

This content was produced by the special publications team of Devoir, which falls under marketing. The editorial staff of Devoir did not take part in it.