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Scumbag of the Year: Call for nominations

14650739_1327002627344312_1286795485287706873_nIt’s that wonderful time of year again where we gather with friends, family and co-workers to swap stories about the scumbag employers making our lives miserable. As per tradition, we at Rankandfile.ca take this time of year to bestow our coveted Scumbag of The Year award on the one special scumbag who made workers’ lives hell in 2016.

The Rules

In the comment section below, let us know who you think are the year’s worst bosses, scumbag politicians and right-wing hacks. There are plenty of scumbags around the world, so we limit it to Canada. We will compile a top ten list by the end of next week and you our readers will choose in an online poll the winner of our Scumbag of the Year award.

Submissions: Nominate your candidate in the comment section below. Tell us why they deserve to Scumbag of the Year. Nominations close on December 20, 2015.

Past Winners

2015: Deepak Chopra, Canada Post CEO
2014: Stephen McNeil, Premier of Nova Scotia

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. My Pick:

    Mike McQuade, Stelco’s general manager, president, and sentient faeces for stripping medical benefits from pensioners and forcing untold numbers of seniors into poverty.

    My Short list:

    Bill Morneau – “get used to poverty plebs”
    Kathleen Wynne – privatizing Hydro
    Justin Trudeau – Approving Keystone XL, Arming Saudi Arabia, etc.
    Chris Alexander – Chris “drowning Syrian children” Alexander for thinking his career isn’t over. Even some Tories are repulsed by you.

    dis-honourable mentions:

    Stephan dion – These least qualified politician in the Liberal cabinet, if this was fantasy football you wouldn’t even be an option. Lol @ “responsibly arming Saudi Arabia”
    The Weston Family – no explanation required
    John Tory
    Anyone responsible for designing defensive architecture
    Uber
    Airbnb

  4. Dwight Ball and Stan Marshall.. for the treatment of the people of Labrador and the Muskrat falls “boondoggle” projects long term effects on the environment as well as safety concerns around the northern spir.

  8. Scumbag of the Year has to be Mark Lever. He has single-handedly ruined Canada’s oldest independent newspaper.

    Staff have been locked out for more than 10 months. Lever has refused to move on any key positions at the bargaining table. The Unions has offered significant concessions, but Lever wants to underhandedly bargain the union out of existence.

    All the while the paper has taken a nose-dive in quality, out-done by the striking workers’ own publication, localxpress.ca. It constantly publishes unresearched, poorly-edited articles accompanied by terrible, non-union photography. Recently, the paper has taken a deep right-wing bent, taking swipes at the province’s teachers and other organized labour groups.

    Mark Lever has been so atrocious that a daughter of the paper’s former owner, Heather Dennis, wrote an open-letter condemning new management’s stubborn approach. The letter was aptly titled, “Destroying my father’s legacy”.

    Mark Lever is truly the 2016 Scumbag of the Year.

  11. ON Premier, the Rightwing Dishonourable KATHLEEN WYNNE: As the key architect of the New Liberalism that has saved conservative Bay St. policy in Canada.

    The fall-out of her privatization of Hydro One merits this award all on its own given the central important of public energy ownership and as an uber-privatization example that is informing the coming Trudeau sell off of federal assets.

    As an added bonus, our Overlord at Queen’s Park has a name that is remarkably similar to the reactionary religious leader villain in Deep Space Nine, Kai Winn. Just as scary and smart and ruthless. Trudeau is a salesman amateur by comparison.

  13. Justin Trudeau for promising a major change in the electoral system and then changing his mind.

  14. Ezra Levant and the crew at Rebel media for taking a young reporter’s concerns about being threatened at an event Rebel held and turning it into a gaslighting fundraising webpage that cybersquats on her domain name.

  15. Mark Lever, President & CEO of the Chronicle Herald. Refuses to negotiate with the newsroom workers, members of the Halifax Typographical Union. They have.been on strike since January 23.

  18. I believe the Essex County Library Board should share the honour amongst themselves.

  20. Jordan Peterson, Mr. Anti-pronouns at the U of T. He has emboldened the far right in Canada.

  21. Justin Trudeau – many broken promises. And, not only is he not planning on repealing C-51, but is planning on bringing in even worse legislation. For all the 180 turns on the environment, climate change, privacy, electoral reform, etc. the list is long. I didn’t vote Liberal, and I knew the Liberals would do what they are doing, but so many seldom-vote voters, undecided voters, and young new voters all fell for the lies and here were are. Just is the leader and the “face” of this farce.

  22. Typo-free version:
    Justin Trudeau – many broken promises. And, not only is he not planning on repealing C-51, but he is planning on bringing in even worse legislation. For all the 180 degree turns on the environment, climate change, privacy, electoral reform, etc. – the list is long. I didn’t vote Liberal, and I knew the Liberals would do what they are doing, but so many seldom-vote voters, undecided voters, and young new voters all fell for the lies and here were are. Justin is the leader and the “face” of this farce.

  23. I second Essex County Library Board…calling in scabs 6 months into a strike, no negotiations. Shame on them.

  24. The Essex County library board with top honours going to chairman Richard J Meloche.

  25. The whole Essex County Library Board should win. So far they have kept their workers out for 6 months over a plan that they say will cost more for 30 years. The Chair Richard Meloche has lied on numerous occasions and really has no clue. He tried to use intimidation and threats two days before a Ministry vote that the Board requested.

  26. Cineplex CEO Ellis Jacob for blaming the increase of prices on the minimum wage hike after making 1.4 billion dollars in record profits.

  27. Essex County Library Board should share it. The library workers have walked a picket line for 6 months fighting a third party insurer taking over their sick time. This is only an issue for the board be a use they want all county workers to go to this system and their pea brains think they need to force the workers to accept whatever they want. They have not been negotiating in good faith and last week asked the Ontario Ministry of Labour to force a vote on their final offer. The Library workers voted No with an astounding 87%. This board does not understand the meaning of the word negotiations. Before the vote the a member of the board called every worker trying to sway the vote. Scum as is too good a word for them..

  28. The Essex County Library board should share the title for the way they are treating striking library workers. Bullying and intimidation tactics have become quite frequent during this 6 month strike plus a blatant disrespect to the workers with their refusal to negotiate properly.

  29. Essex County Library Board Chair Richard Meloche!!! If you have to lie to ‘win’ then there is something wrong with what you are trying to do. Using a bunch of library ladies to force a crappy sick plan on EMS is pathetic. How about not putting a group of 58 library workers out on strike and looking into how to help your first responders cope properly with the stresses of their jobs? He wouldn’t last 5 minutes as an EMS let alone working in a library. SHAME!!!!!!!

  30. Richard J Meloche and the Essex County Library Board. Forcing the workers out on strike, dictating instead of negotiating, intimidation, lies and bullying. This whole board needs to go.

  31. Essex County Library Board, with the crown going to Library Chair Richard J Meloche for his many many omissions, half truths and disrespect of the public and patrons causing a strike and closing libraries in Essex County for 6 months and counting. Security costs of over $700,000 and climbing to watch 57 employees picket! Labour Act, be damned, he does whatever he thinks will give him the outcome he wants!

  32. Richard Meloche and The Essex County Library Board have clearly won hands down !!

  33. Another vote for Richard J Meloche and the Essex County Library Board.

  34. Essex County Library Board….for the mistruths, heavy-handed tactics, intimidation attempts and general lack of knowledge

  35. The award goes to…… Essex County Library Chair Richard Meloche and the Board.
    Congratulations !!

  36. I nominate Judge Herman J. Wilton-Siegel

    The judge who last year striped Steelworker retirees in Hamilton of their vision, dental, and prescription drug benefits, has now made a ruling on Stelco’s restructuring agreement that would allow Steelworker pensions to be reduced by 30%.

    Judge Herman J. Wilton-Siegel, the best friend our corporate bosses could ever ask for.
    More info:
    – http://www.thespec.com/news-story/7022310-judge-dismisses-union-city-objections-to-u-s-steel-restructuring
    – http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/plan-to-revitalize-stelco-supported-by-ontario-opposed-by-hamilton

  37. Richard J Meloche and the Essex County Library Board get my vote for the horrible way they have managed the strike!

  38. Ezra Levant — climate change denier (because, you know, pollution has no effects) and general #sshole.

  39. I second John Tory. The worst scumbags are the ones who think they’re getting away with it.

  40. Justin Trudeau
    on July 23,2015 he wrote “any changes to existing Defined Benefit Pensions (DBP’s) should be made on a going forward basis. DBP’s, which have already paid for by employees and pensioners should not retroactively be changed into Target Benefit Plans.” On October 19th, 2016 one year later on the anniversary of Trudeau’s Liberal government election he had his Finance Minister Bill Morneau (his firm was architect of the New Brunswick Shared Risk Plan that took away the provincial government retirees pension plan) introduce Bill C-27 the Target Benefit Plan. Bill C-27 TBP is designed for the crown corporations to allow the corporations to convert their DBP’s into TBP,s for their employees and retirees. It is clear once they do this for the crown corporations the federal public sector workers, RCMP and Military DBP’s will be the next on the chopping block.

  41. If lack of transparency, unable to listen, ego, lack of empathy, closed-mindedness, assigns blame, inconsistency, and unable to put a sentence out without a lie makes you scumbag of the year than Richard J Meloche from the Essex County Library is your winner. Crown him already, there cannot be anyone more of a scumbag.

  42. Essex County Library Board as a whole – complete mismanagement of a strike, total disrespect of their workforce and a misinformation campaign full of half truths and outright lies.

  43. Essex County Library Board – Richard Meloche, Nelson Santos, Bart DiPasquale, Ken Antaya – what a joke. Men who have been in power too long sticking it to one group of workers in order to get at another. Shame on the four of them. #ClearTheRoom2018

  44. Essex County Library Board – because they suck, they don’t listen to their residents and they have done NOTHING to get libraries back open!

  45. It’s got to be Justin!

    With that “take my shirt off, flash those pearly whites and take a selfie” response to everything, the flash is wearing off, showing that he’s no different than any other politicians from the past! Even if it’s 2017!

  47. I am from NS so my vote is going to Stephen McNeil (he continues to live up to his 2014 crowning) and Karen Casey as co-winners. Trudeau as well- Saudia arms deal was sickening.

  48. Judge Robin Camp federal Canadian judge who when speaking about a rape case said “sex and pain sometimes go together” also According to the Globe and Mail, the former plaintiff described how Federal Court Justice Robin Camp “made me hate myself,” when he asked her questions including, “Why didn’t I close my legs or knees or put my ass in the sink.” ( he is now under review and in my opinion should be dismissed)

  49. Hands down…Essex County Library Board. Richard Meloche and his cronies have mismanaged this unnecessary strike from day one. Shame on them.

  51. The winner should be Richard Meloche and the ENTIRE Essex County Library board.
    TOTAL USELESS !!!!

  52. Essex County Library and their Board get top honours! They should all be fired.

  53. Another vote for the Essex County Library Board with the crown prince Richard Meloche. This board not only forced the workers out on strike over moving to a 3rd party short term disability plan, but they did it even before they were able to provide said workers with ANY SINGLE PIECE OF DOCUMENTATION on this plan expecting the workers to give in and sign the contract without ever being able to read it. When workers refused to accept a plan the board refused to provide documentation on, the board proceeded to lie to the workers and the public, and attempted to manipulate a Ministry of Labour supervised vote. They regularly act in violation of the Public Libraries Act and the Labour Relations Act, apparently believing these acts apply to everyone except them. Nobody is above the law, so let’s award these scumbags the title they have so shamefully earned!

  54. Essex County Library Board, specifically Richard J. Meloche for refusing to negotiate, going into bargaining with a closed mind and a pre-determined outcome. For his half-truths, his misrepresentation of facts, his bullying, intimidation and disrespect. Not to mention his complete lack of understanding of both the importance of libraries to the communities he pretends to represent and the specific role of a library board he ineptly chairs.

  56. The essex county library board should win hands down!!!!#cleartheroom2018

  58. The Essex County Library Board and its chair Richard Meloche. The way they are handling the library strike and the branch closures is appalling!

  59. Lee Riggs. Led Telus Steelworkers to their worst contract ever by taking a contract to the members that contained language against the law, dropped a labour board complaint to push it through and refused to recommend no at ratification despite the illegal language.

    Him or Trudeau

  60. Three stand out for me:
    1. Kellie Leitch for pandering to xenophobes
    2. Jerry Dias for being a labour ‘leader’ who likes Liberals and donates to Kellie Leitch’s campaign.
    3. Ezra Levant for hosting Canadian reactionaries’ favourite internet hangout and “information” source.

  62. Essex County Library Board and especially Richard Meloche for their lying and bullying tactics and their apparent inability to comprehend the meaning of the word “negotiate”. So much for the Public Libraries Act and the fact that the board’s primary responsibility is to be to the best interests of the library – I don’t think it’s possible to argue that closing the libraries for six months over something that won’t even save the library itself any money and will, in fact, cost the library MORE money (by their own admission) for the next 30 years or so, has been in the library’s best interests.

  63. Just chiming in for one more nomination for Mr. Meloche and the ECL library board. Heavy handed tactics, using librarians as pawns, offering contracts they didn’t know details of and which would have excluded 30% of their workforce, bullying, lying, contravening the public libraries act and the labour relations and much more have all contributed to a completely unnecessary 6 month strike over what is a non-issue for these workers.

  65. Richard Meloche, chair of the Essex County Library Board and the fellow board members. Their lies and bullying tactics with regard to the Essex County Library strike are disgusting

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