Big Money Unions Will Try To Buy The Next Election

[Anonymous]

I dislike our so-called "democratic" system of pandering, but I felt it was still superior to the American system of raising massive amounts of $$. It seems rich, big labour feels they are above the rules, ethics and accountability. Few organizations or politicians have the balls to stand in their way, so their money probably will many seats. I wonder if their due paying members are satisfied with how their money which is meant to be used for higher wages/benefits and better working conditions is being spent. ac_unsure

This week a worker sent me a confidential and internal document from Quebec's most important union regarding the upcoming federal election. Titled "Beat the Conservatives," it goes into detail about how the big unions will get involved in the campaign this fall.



Their model copies a campaign run by Australian unions that beat Conservatives in 21 of the 24 targeted constituencies in 2007.



Canadian unions are currently focusing on 60 federal constituencies, including 34 in Ontario.



Next week, a meeting will be held in Toronto between different unions from coast to coast. The movement also includes the usual suspects of the radical left, including Greenpeace, Idle No More and many others.



An organizer will be named in each riding to coordinate the campaign. Activists will be locally trained; phone calls and door knocking is planned, starting as soon as next month.



The unions have also put money aside to help the riding's New Democrat or Liberal candidate win.



In other words, thousands of workers will find out by reading this column that their union dues will be used to support such political propaganda.



Imagine the scandal if we found out that an oil company had decided to beat Green Party Leader Elizabeth May in her constituency.



Why should it be any different when we talk about unions?



Canadians have the privilege of not being overwhelmed by big money when it's time to vote. Are the unions trying to Americanize our political system? Are they transforming themselves into a Super-PAC?



We saw in the last Ontario provincial election the impact of unions' big money after their front, Working Families coalition, invested massively to beat Tim Hudak's Conservatives. After the Conservatives' defeat, the president of the Ontario Labour Federation, Sid Ryan, even added, "Now that we have stopped Hudak, Harper is next."



Wait a minute!



We have a new funding law for political parties in Canada that prohibits unions and corporations from donating to any party. Donations by individual voters are also limited.



Outside organizations have a right to register and intervene during the campaigns. They can promote their agenda and their issues.



But when billionaire unions turn up to elect NDP candidates in a few dozen constituencies, we are talking about something else.



It is already immoral to take the compulsory union dues that are supposed to be used to negotiate better working conditions and use them to elect a political party without the democratic will of the worker.



It's outrageous to see leadership using their members' dues to push their unions' agenda with a multi-million dollar slush fund and with the view to elect specific NDP candidates in swing constituencies.​



It shouldn't be just libertarians and right-wingers like me who stand up today to bring unions back to their own business. Their political allies on the left need to tell their friends they are wrong. It is not Stephen Harper's re-election that is at stake. It's the very foundation of our Canadian democratic system.

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