In the latest episode of Rank and File Radio – Prairies Edition, host Emily Leedham speaks with Union of Canadian Transport Employees President Dave Clark and Winnipeg Labour Council president Basia Sokal.
Port of Churchill
This week, Clark called for the government to buy back the Canadian Wheat Board from the Saudi-U.S. joint venture, Global Grain Group. The Harper government sold 50.1% of the CWB to the joint venture, which is now known as G3 Canada Limited. Grain shipments through the Port of Churchill were vital to Churchill’s livelihood. Clark notes that the port itself and the Hudson Bay Railway leading up to the port were both privatized in 1997 by the federal Liberal government and sold to Denver based company OmniTrax. The privatization of the port, railway and wheat board has lead to the perfect devastating storm for Churchill.
Manitoba labour under Pallister
Basia Sokal is a proud member of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 856 and a letter carrier in Downtown Winnipeg, and current president of the Winnipeg Labour Council. Sokal discusses the impact Unifor’s disaffiliation with the Canadian Labour Congress has had on local organizing in the province and on the Prairies. She also addresses the need to bridge the gap between unionized and non-unionized workers, and the challenges facing the Manitoba labour movement under the Brian Pallister’s austere, union-busting Conservative government.