05) FROM BIZARRE TO ABSURD

People's Voice Editorial

            The Harper Conservatives have never been known for understanding facts or science. This is the government which tossed out the long form census a few years ago, even dismaying their business backers. Most readers can recall similar stories, from the trashing of valuable Fisheries and Oceans libraries, to the refusal to join most of the world in recognizing that expansion of greenhouse gas emissions is destroying the planet.

            The latest bonehead Tory move is relying on misleading job vacancy numbers. One would think that a rabidly pro‑business government might want to ensure a regular supply of skilled labour to the corporate sector. After all, the same government talks about labour shortages and skills mismatches, even while 1.5 million Canadians are officially counted as unemployed. The Canadian Labour Congress has noted repeatedly that many workers are desperate for jobs, and that these "shortages and mismatches" affect only a few specific regions and occupations. Employment Minister Jason Kenney has even agreed that better data is needed, starting with reliable, timely, and detailed labour market information.

            Of course, the fact that right‑wing governments are happy to drive down wages by keeping unemployment high. But it also turns out that the job vacancy data provided by Finance Canada relies, in part, on job postings listed on the Kijiji website, where the same positions get reposted over and over again, and many are complete scams. Recent Kijiji "job postings" include: "Employer looking to hire someone to hand‑feed mini‑marshmallows to pet monkey." (No, we aren't making this up.)

            If the Harper Tories were simply embarrassing themselves, none of this would matter. But these corporate thugs are running the country and wrecking the lives of working people. We urge the incoming CLC leadership to go beyond issuing news releases, and instead mobilize Canadians to drive Harper out of office.

(The above article is from the April 16-30, 2014, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)