Adrian Dix. Photo by Brent Granby, Flickr
“Unions across B.C. are in ‘extensive’ pre-election talks with the NDP, and the party’s labour platform is being developed with the B.C. Federation of Labour, according to a document obtained Thursday by [the] Province.”
The article went on, quoting a B.C. Liberal spokesperson: “Adrian Dix tried to fool people that he was a moderate with a modest agenda… He just got busted.”
Well, not really. Actually, the Province front page might as well have reported the shocking news that Vancouver could expect rain this winter, or that they had obtained secret documents showing Jimmy Pattison had quite a bit of money.
The truth, it turns out, is that the document “obtained” by the Province was widely distributed at last month’s B.C. Federation of Labour convention in downtown Vancouver.
As it happens, I attended the morning of the labour convention when delegates debated and discussed their political action committee’s report.
Held in the cavernous new convention centre building, the labour meeting’s venue was a reminder of the wealth that exists in our society and of what we can build with our collective labour.
In that comfortable setting, nearly 2000 delegates of labour unions from across the province gathered to discuss the real, grinding hardship faced by working people and the poor in B.C.
A dozen years of B.C. Liberal government has resulted in a wider-than-ever gap between the haves and the have-nots, between the rich and the poor, between Labour and Capital.
It’s no secret that the Liberals are a coalition pulled together to defend the interests of big business. When Gordon Campbell came into office back in 2001, some of his first acts were aimed at weakening the power of labour unions: ripping up public sector contracts to open the door for contracting out and privatization; changing the labour code to make it harder to unionize a workplace and easing restrictions on child labour. There was a period of relative labour peace as the government agreed to long-term contracts designed to avoid strikes and disruptions around the 2010 Olympics. But 2012 has seen a return to strikes and lockouts, especially in the public sector.
So it’s no surprise – and also no secret – that B.C.’s labour movement wants to see the Liberals replaced with the NDP, a party with organic, traditional ties to the labour movement. That morning at the labour convention, countless delegates stood up to urge their fellow workers to mobilize for the NDP in the May 2013 election. Some raised important concerns that too much energy and money was going into electoral politics, and not enough into organizing workers who don’t yet enjoy the benefits of unions. Yet the desire to see the end of the B.C. Liberals’ stint in power was unanimous.
Immediately after the delegates’ discussion wrapped up, Adrian Dix was invited to speak, and he was given a warm reception as he proudly listed the labour movement’s contributions to helping make our society more decent and humane.
Dix spelled out some of what he would do for workers’ rights in B.C. The speech was measured and self-consciously limited in what he promised, as has been Dix’s approach since becoming Opposition leader. He even made light of the role the mainstream media played in setting the limits of political discourse, citing a talk radio host who advised him to “shake hands but not embrace” the labour movement.
You never hear mainstream media voices telling Christy Clark not to embrace big business. It’s a subtle but pervasive bias that reflects the limits of democracy under the reigning neo-liberal capitalist economic system. Corporate influence over politics is seen as natural. When workers demand a say in politics, however, it’s a shocking revelation, a nefarious conspiracy.
In reality all politics reflects the ongoing conflict over money and power – the class struggle. And it’s absolutely no secret whose side the B.C. Liberals are on.
Premier Christy Clark, at her party’s recent convention, made it clear by celebrating “Free Enterprise Friday.” That’s not even newsworthy, but imagine the uproar if the NDP had a “Workers Wednesday,” let alone a “Socialist Saturday.”
Big media polices the vocabulary of our political discussion in the interest of big money. I’d like to think that the influence of these corporate media outlets is shrinking, with the rise of alternative outlets and social media.
But be aware and read all media critically; we can expect many more absurd cover stories from the Province and friends between now and May’s election.
