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$25M to destroy our museum

“You’re taking a Rolls-Royce, and you’re chopping off the roof and tearing out the backseats so you can turn it into a pick-up truck.”

That’s how Lorne Holyoak of the Canadian Anthropology Society described the Harper government’s plan to change the Museum of Civilization, yesterday, during a meeting of the standing committee on Canadian Heritage.

“We do not support the gutting of the crown jewel in our collection of museums. It would be a terrible mistake with long-term consequences,” added Holyoak.

Yesterday’s committee meeting was the single opportunity for the committee to discuss Bill C-49, which would rebrand the museum at the tune of $25 million and significantly change its mandate. The NDP did propose a motion to hold two more meetings on the subject, in order to interview more witnesses, but the motion failed thanks to the Conservative majority.

The Museum’s former President and CEO, Victor Rabinovich, was called as a witness; he described the new museum’s mandate as “narrow and parochial.”

“As it now stands, the CMC does a very extensive job of portraying Canadian history,” explained Rabinovich. He estimates that three quarters of the exhibition areas are already dedicated to Canadian history.

Rabinovich believes these can be improved without radically changing the museum.

A number of witnesses were also concerned that the language of the bill would greatly minimize the importance of research.

“It would be possible, under this language, for there to be no research undertaken within the museum itself,” said Holyoak. “And it appears planned that research may become an adjunct to exhibitions once they are decided upon rather than the informed and critical basis from which they arise.”

James L. Turk, executive director of the Canadian University Teachers Association, deplored the lack of engagement of the professional community of historians, anthropologists and archeologists in the planning of the museum. He believes this lack of consultation is partly to blame for the flaws within the bill.

For example, the new mandate would do away with the notion of increasing “critical understanding” to simply “understanding.”

“The removal of ‘critical understanding’ is one concern,” said Turk.“Promoting critical understanding of history is an essential goal of any great museum. Providing visitors with critical understanding of history means offering them an opportunity to consider different points of view – the opportunity to criticize and analyse the past, and to re-examine traditional viewpoints rather than simply venerating national heroes.”

Rabinovich echoed Turk’s concerns, noting that one word makes a big difference when a museum has to point to the legislation in order to justify every penny spent, whether to the Auditor General, Treasury Board or the Department of Canadian Heritage.

“The way the words are chosen is really important. It’s not window-dressing,” said Rabinovich.

“Critical understanding is an academic expression meaning the ability to criticize, to ability to engage with knowledge and challenge it,” explained Rabinovich.

“You have on the one hand the ability to engage, to debate, to argue and, on the other hand, the ability to distribute information to educate.”

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Solidarity with Foreign Service Officers

Members of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers officially walked off the job today. If you work for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, we highly recommend reading the April 4 update (below) on how to continue your work while supporting the strike.

The April 17 update follows :

Our brothers and sisters at the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers have now been on strike for three weeks. Our union continues to firmly support their actions.

National President Doug Marshall is writing a letter to Assistant Deputy Minister Nadir Patel insisting that senior management and heads of mission respect Patel’s earlier instructions. On March 20, Patel advised, via email, that “local strike committees must be composed of non-represented senior managers from the EX and unrepresented groups.”

By back-tracking in this instruction and asking our management consular officer members to do what is clearly EX-level work, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is making life very uncomfortable for our members. These requests must stop immediately.

As this drags on, management consular officers will find themselves doing more work. That’s why we’re urging all PSAC members who are seeing an increase in their workload to document their situation. We want to ensure that you are claiming (and being paid for!) any overtime worked.

It also ensures that management consular officers, who are already doing more than their share of the work, document their workload in case something falls through the cracks. We simply can’t do it all!

Finally, this will ensure that after the PAFSO work actions are over, we can demonstrate how Treasury Board’s reluctance to bargain fairly with PAFSO had a negative impact on management consular officers.

Our members who work away from home are already coping with an enormous strain in their day-to-day lives. We urge the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to get back to the bargaining table.

If you have any questions, please use your personal email to email Regional Vice-President Heather Brooker at hbrooker97@gmail.com

The April 4 update follows:

Our brothers and sisters at the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers recently voted in favour of strike action. The Union of National Employees stands in solidarity with these members and calls on the Government of Canada to negotiate in good faith.

Many of our members work side-by-side with foreign service officers in Canadian embassies across the globe and at headquarters. For these members, it’s business as usual at the embassy and at 125 and 111 Sussex. Since this strike does not affect PSAC members, they must report to work and perform their regular duties.

While crossing a picket line is usually frowned upon, our members are obligated to report to the workplace. We encourage you to support your colleagues by walking the picket line with them outside your normal work hours. Better yet, drop by with some coffee and water!

This is a good time to explain your situation; you support their strike but you’re nonetheless obligated to show up to work. Your colleagues should understand your situation.

However, if you feel intimidated or have any concerns about your safety, step away from the picket line and call your supervisor. Your manager must provide you with a safe way of getting to work.

You should also be vigilant against being asked to perform work normally done by PAFSO members. If that does happen, obey your manager and contact your shop steward or union representative immediately.

As a PSAC member, you should not be involved in any strike strategy committees – that’s management’s job! Your role is to follow the directions that flow from these committees while making sure you don’t perform work normally done by your striking colleagues.

For more information on this strike, please visit the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers’ website. Your regional team and members of your local executive should also be in a position to provide you with more information.

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Finally! SSO Arbitration dates

The Public Service Labour Relations Board has officially set dates to hear the case of regional office members working at Statistical Survey Operations; the bargaining team will present its case on November 11 and 12, 2013.

The field interviewer group is still waiting to find out when the board will hear its case.

In its latest communication, the Public Service Alliance of Canada was clear: the bargaining team is prepared to return to the bargaining table at any point – but for that to happen, management will have to agree to a fair process when it comes to assigning work hours and provide wages that are comparable with public servants doing similar work elsewhere.

T-shirts sporting the slogan “Respect for our years of service” have been distributed to both regional office and field employees; the bargaining team is asking for SSO members to wear these during Public Service Week – preferably on June 12.

And we’ve also heard that, for field employees, training sessions are an especially good time to wear those t-shirts!

To find out more, please consult the SSO bargaining section of the PSAC website.

For more stories on SSO Bargaining on our website, click here.

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National Aboriginal History Month

A government bent on assimilation; that’s what our nation’s Aboriginal Peoples had to fight for more than a century. To talk about Aboriginal Peoples’ history, in a human rights context, means recognizing that for many years, the Canadian government’s goal was to make Aboriginal People incapable of directing their destiny – unable to resist assimilation.

Shortly after Confederation, the government began to force Aboriginal People into ‘becoming civilized’. The Constitution Act gave the federal government responsibility over ‘Indians’. The government then gave itself the business of determining who was and who wasn’t ‘Indian’.

Who was and wasn’t a ‘status Indian’ became a complicated thing. Indian status was passed down from fathers; if only your father was Indian, so were you. If only your mother was, then you weren’t. A status Indian woman who married a non-status man was suddenly not considered status Indian anymore. That policy stayed in effect until 1985.1

Many status Indians automatically also lost their status as a result of graduating college or university.

Band councils were established, but mainly to displace the dominance of elders. By undermining the elders, the Indian Act was designed to weaken Indian communities and make them easier to control.

“Despite this show of respect, the Indian Act allowed band councils limited authority. Indian agents could remove from office chiefs whom they considered unsuitable and overrule band council decisions with which they disagreed.”2

The government also attacked Aboriginal Peoples’ spirituality and cultural practices. Powwows and potlatches were banned until 1951. Government officials and missionaries felt that these practices “were preventing Aboriginal people from assimilating into Canadian society.”3

The government also restricted Aboriginal Peoples’ mobility.

“A pass system was introduced after the 1885 rebellion, confining Indians to reserves unless they procured a ‘pass’ from the Indian agent stating their place of travel, reason, and duration of visit. This pass system was completely extralegal and recognized as such by all Crown officials.”4

The pass system was nonetheless enforced by the North-Western Mounted Police, thus preventing traditional gatherings and further confining First Nations People to reserves. It made it impossible or aboriginal communities to work together to form a resistance.

Residential schools were another key mechanism by which the government hoped to assimilate Aboriginal Peoples. Children were separated from their families so they could be ‘changed’ away from their parents’ influence. These schools punished students severely for speaking their own language.

But the government didn’t have the resources to administer these schools, so they arranged for churches to do the work.

“The brutal treatment in the schools is said to have resulted in the deaths of some 50,000 native children, with countless others becoming victims of serious physical and sexual abuse.”5

In 1904, Dr. Peter Bryce was appointed Medical Inspector to the Department of the Interior and of Indian Affairs. Three years later, Bryce conducted inspections of 35 residential schools in the three Prairie Provinces. His report, Bryce revealed a surprising rate of sickness and death among the children. Among his recommendations, Bryce urged the government to “undertake the complete maintenance and control of the schools, since it had promised by treaty to ensure such.”

But the report was swept under the rug. Frustrated by the government’s inaction, Bryce resigned and, in 1922, published his findings in a book entitled The story of a national crime.

“This story should have been written years ago and then given to the public,” wrote Bryce in the book’s epilogue.6

“Today I am free to speak,” he added, after explaining that, after resigning from his position, he was no longer bound by the civil service’s oath of office, which had been the only thing keeping him silent for so long.7

[1] Henderson, William B. The Indian Act. Canadian Encyclopedia

[2] Berry, Susan & Brink, Jack. (2004) Aboriginal Cultures in Alberta: Five-hundred Generations. Edmonton, Alberta: McCallum Printing Group, Inc.

[3] Idem

[4] Harring, S. (2005) There Seemed to Be No Recognized Law: Canadian Law and the Prairie First Nations. In Knafla, Louis A. and  Swainger, Jonathan (Eds.), Laws and Societies in the Canadian Prairie West, 1670-1940. Vancouver, B.C.: UBC Press.

[5] Akhavan, Payam (2012) Reducing Genocide to Law. New York: Cambridge University Press.

[6] Bryce, P.H. (1922) The story of a national crime, as retrieved from http://www.archive.org/stream/storyofnationalc00brycuoft/storyofnationalc00brycuoft_djvu.txt

[7] Idem

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Injured Workers: a painful identity

On top of dealing with their physical pain, injured workers often have to grapple with a new sense of identity. According to Sharon-Dale Stone, an associate professor of sociology at Lakehead University and the principal investigator for a study on injured workers, there’s a stigma associated to being an injured worker.

Her paper, entitled Workers Without Work: Injured Workers and Well-Being, looks at how injured workers’ well-being suffers as a result of being deprived from work. Stone and her team of researchers conducted twelve focus groups in Western Ontario to obtain first-hand accounts on how their lives were impacted by their injuries.

“For me, personally, it was gratifying to be able document these stories because I had known for a long time about all the horrible things that had happened to injured workers,” said Stone during a phone interview. “And by documenting what they go through and publishing it, I would be in a position to make some small level of change.”

Injured workers are often met with a sense of distrust – as if all they want to do is stay home and get paid. But Stone’s study suggests that most workers truly want to get back to work; their injury is a devastating and distressing event in their lives.

“The hardest thing of my life was not being able to go back to nursing,” said one woman in Stone’s study. “That’s what I loved. I truly loved it and I was working towards my RNs, I was working and going to school, unions, Friday night and Saturday.”

“We live in a society that encourages all of us to distrust each and everybody else,” explained Stone. “We also live in a society that privileges the visible, which means that if you have any kind of invisible injury or disability, you’re automatically suspected of trying to get away with something.”

“It’s a huge problem because most disabilities aren’t visible.”

In addition to coping with their new reality, injured workers also have to deal with family members and co-workers who aren’t as understanding of their situation.

“The hardest part is when you get some co-workers saying well, ‘I wish I could be off like you’, and stuff like that,” said one man, who was a pipe fitter.

Another participant of Stone’s study, a bulldozer operator, reflected on the lack of understanding from his family.

“With my family, I think I was totally rejected, because I wasn’t working,” said the man. “My father is very traditional where, you know, you never miss a day. You work, and you work no matter whether it’s raining or, if you are sore, whatever.”

Some injured workers reported feeling abandoned by co-workers with whom they were close.

“I still don’t talk to almost all the men that worked for me for all those years,” said one construction worker. “Before that, we might well have been sitting in the bar together all evening or spent the weekend in. As soon as I was hurt, hey, you’re an outcast; you’re out of it!”

On top of all that, injured workers also have to deal with the difficult process of claims, retraining or obtaining modified duties. One participant in Stone’s study, an equipment operator with back, shoulder and neck injuries, recounted how his employer’s concept of modified duties was to have him wheel cement using a wheelbarrow.

Leslie Sanderson, a labour relations officer with the Union of National Employees, said this situation is often a product of poor medical evidence – in fact, she says it’s often the biggest hurdle to obtain proper accommodation.

“Employers, employees and unions have to rely on medical opinions,” explained Sanderson. “If your doctor isn’t familiar with the process of providing medical recommendations for accommodations, that becomes a difficult task for everyone relying on that information.”

According to Sanderson, a common difficulty is getting doctors to provide the proper information. She said employers should be sending proper letters asking for proper information, along with the employee’s job description.

“When did you see the person? What’s the prognosis for return? What are the restrictions and limitations on this person returning to work and what are the recommended accommodations? A lot of doctors do not understand what is required – and a lot of employers don’t send the job description along with this letter. The doctors really need that document to understand the worker’s position.”

But even if employees succeed in getting modified duties, they can still be faced with a lack of understanding from their co-workers. In Stone’s study, one customer service clerk shared her experience:

“My coworkers are something else,” said the woman. “They make you feel like you’re this high, cause you can’t do something. And they’ve actually voiced it. ‘Do we have to do everything around here?’… and I don’t appreciate them rubbing it in my face on top of it. Because an injury is not just – it comes with a lot of other problems that you have to deal with. So you don’t – you don’t need that. You don’t need the BS from co-workers that don’t understand it.”

Sanderson often encourages members with significant health problems to be open with their employer.

“That comes with some risks,” she cautioned. “But if you’re open with them, there seems to be more trust created. It’s easier for people to understand that.”

Sanderson believes the issue of accommodation is especially topical, given the aging demographic of society as a whole.

“Personally, I feel that we should never have to deal with accommodation issues in a grievance,” said Sanderson. “It should be a process where we’re all working together to get a worker back to work as quickly as medically possible.”

As for Professor Stone, she would like to see unions regularly educating their membership on the issue of injured workers – going beyond injury-prevention training and focusing on how to treat injured workers.

“They should be sensitising everybody to the fact that it’s not the worker’s fault that they got injured. They need the support of their co-workers. They need the support of their union. They need the support of management.”

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Passing it on!

Last weekend, Krystle Harvey, a member of Local 00383 in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, attended what could be her last union event with the PSAC. Harvey just landed a new job outside Statistics Canada, which means, in addition to saying goodbye to her great co-workers and a job that she really liked, she also has to say goodbye to the union.

“I’m going to miss the union the most because I met so many amazing people and got to do so many amazing things,” she said.

After the training session was over, Harvey took to Facebook and called on her co-workers to get involved. Her status update read in part: “I urge all my stats co-workers to become more involved in your union! Because if you won’t fight for your rights then who will?”

Harvey, a 29-year-old employee at Statistical Survey Operations, admits she didn’t always think unions were so great. In a previous workplace, her main experience with her union was seeing it protect individuals who didn’t really deserve to be protected.

But luckily for us, after getting a job at Stats, Harvey got involved with our union and her opinion quickly changed. She currently holds the position of secretary in her Local. Her involvement, she admits, was a bit of an accident. At the behest of one of her friends, Harvey signed up for a course on political and social activism.

“One of my friends said ‘come, it’ll be so much fun – we’ll have a great weekend,’” recalled Harvey. “And… my friend didn’t actually end up going.”

Nonetheless, Harvey spent the weekend learning more about the union and getting to know members of her local executive.

“It got me a lot more involved – and it got me wanting to get me more involved with this particular union.”

It should be noted that Statistical Survey Operations has a number of longstanding issues that still need to be addressed. Our members hope that this round of bargaining will lead to a much fairer workplace. Harvey believes that becoming aware of these issues helped fuel her union activism.

“I didn’t really know about the issues before I got involved. Once I got involved, I started seeing all of these issues and wanting something to be done about it.”

Last weekend’s training session allowed 11 participants to talk about these issues. Despite the training being open to all PSAC members from the North Bay and Sudbury area, the only members who showed up were from Harvey’s Local.

One member who attended felt it was a pretty sad turnout, but Harvey doesn’t quite see it that way.

“Of all the people in North Bay, of all the Locals – we were the only ones who showed up,” she said. “I think that says a lot about our Local and how involved we are – and how united we are.”

Harvey’s new job outside Stats Canada is a management position. She jokingly admits that she probably won’t be as free to praise unions.

“But I still absolutely believe in unions, regardless of where I’m going and whom I’ll be working with,” she added.

In fact, Harvey is making sure her enthusiasm for the union lives on after she’s gone. In addition to urging her co-workers to get involved, Harvey is compelling her older brother Trevor, who also works at Stats, to get involved in the union.

“I told him, ‘Trevor, my legacy has to live on; so you need to become more involved.’”

Join us in wishing Krystle the best of luck in her new career – and Trevor the best of luck in his union involvement! Leave a comment below!

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SSO issues on the Hill

On May 10, MP Claude Gravelle (NDP-Nickel Belt) stood up during question period and told the House of Commons something that our members know all too well: the government is mistreating Statistical Survey Operations employees.

“This government has been nasty with science and statistical evidence. Now they are mistreating the people collecting the evidence,” said Gravelle. “I have 200 statistical survey operations staff in Sturgeon Falls, part of 1,500 across Canada, who have been without a contract for over a year.”

The PSAC is still waiting for arbitration dates, both for regional office employees, who collect data in a call centre, and for field interviewers, who work door-to-door.

Among the demands is the issue of seniority; our members want the employer to recognize seniority when assigning work hours. As things stand currently, the employer has no obligation to provide a minimum amount of hours.

In response to Gravelle’s question, Conservative MP Andrew Saxton responded: “Mr. Speaker, our government bargains in good faith.”

For more information, please consult the SSO bargaining section of the PSAC website.

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International Museum Day

May 18 is International Museum Day, so we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to showcase some of the great museums where our members work.

The Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg is one of the newest Locals to join the Union of National Employees. Our members there are already hard at work conducting research and preparing exhibits. The museum is set to open in 2014. If you want to take a look at what the museum looks like, you can look at it live via its construction webcams… it looks spectacular!

The Canadian Museum of Civilization is definitely worth a visit – especially if you have kids. The museum is located in Gatineau, just across the river from Ottawa (you can walk there from the Market, very easily, using the Alexandra Bridge). One of the most impressive parts of the museum is its grand hall, which features totem poles and house facades from First Nations on the pacific coast.

If you have more of an artistic penchant, head on over to the National Gallery of Canada; whether you’re into medieval art or contemporary art, you’ll be sure to have a great time. Yes, you’ll find pieces by the Group of Seven, but for something a bit more dramatically Canadian, check out Benjamin West’s The Death of General Wolfe. If you’re looking for something more contemporary, check out Ron Mueck’s Head of a Baby. And finally, there are great photo-ops outside the gallery, among Maman’s eight long legs!

Also close to Ottawa’s downtown is the Canadian War Museum, where, this summer, there will be an exhibition named Peace. The exhibition explores “events and issues that have propelled Canadians to act for peace.” Among its permanent exhibition, visitors will find impressive examples of military technology. There is also a hall that showcases the many ways that Canadians have commemorated fallen soldiers. Finally, take a moment to rest and reflect in the Memorial Hall.

The Canadian Museum of Nature is also a great spot to check out, especially with the kids. Best of all, it’s only a short walk from the UNE’s head office, in Ottawa’s Centretown! The building is impressive; it looks like a castle – and in 1916, it became the emergency headquarters of the Canadian government after a fire engulfed the Parliament buildings. Kids will be sure to love the impressive dinosaur collection and the animalium (those who are scared of tarantulas and other creepy-crawlers, beware!).

Outside of the downtown core, there’s another really cool museum to check out with the kids: the Canadian Science and Technology Museum. Everyone who’s ever been on a school trip to this museum will undoubtedly remember the Crazy Kitchen: a bizarre kitchen that messes up your body’s balance! Hang on to that railing! And yes, there are actual steam locomotives inside the museum!

If you’re in the mood for something a bit more warm and cuddly, check out the Canada Agriculture Museum, where you’ll find pigs, horses, cows… and even Alpacas! There are daily demonstrations that are worth checking out, like cooking with grains, milking a cow and grooming a calf.

Finally, be sure to check out the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. If you’re a bit nerdy, you’ll be happy to hear that, this summer, the museum is hosting an exhibition about Star Wars! But what’s most impressive about the museum is its collection of planes – and just recently, the museum added the Canadarm to its collection.

So next time you’re in Winnipeg or in the National Capital Region, be sure to check out some of the great national museums where our members work!

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May 17 – International Day Against Homophobia

May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia.

According to the most recent report of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Intersex Association, there are still 78 countries where homosexual acts are illegal. In Mauritania, Sudan, Iran, Saudi Arabia Yemen, as well as parts of Nigeria and Somalia, being gay is punishable by death.

But the report does remark on some good news; 2012 and 2013 have been great years for those who side with marriage equality. There are now 14 countries where same-sex partners can legally marry. The latest countries to legalize marriage between partners of the same sex include Argentina, Uruguay, France and New Zealand. The United Kingdom is expected to pass its same-sex marriage bill very soon (which would finally end the second-class ‘civil partnership’ nonsense).

Even south of the border, things are changing fast. Just yesterday, Minnesota became the 12th state to approve marriages between partners of the same sex.

But there’s still a long road ahead. This year, Fondation Émergence, a Montreal-based LGBT foundation, is trying to raise awareness about homophobia on social media.

If you want a disturbing look at just how common casual homophobia is on Twitter, you can head over to nohomophobes.com; a website designed by the University of Alberta’s Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services.

The website tracks the use of homophobic language on Twitter. Last week alone, the website tracked 361,405 instances of the word “faggot”, 80,131 instances of “so gay”, and 31,478 instances of “dyke”.

And although the site doesn’t track French homophobic language, our very unscientific research shows roughly one occurrence of the word “tapette” (the French equivalent to “faggot”) per minute.

“What we’re trying to do is focus attention like a laser beam and quantifies how common this experience is in our society,” said Dr. Kristopher Wells, a researcher at the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services, in a video explaining the project.

Wells says the point is to ask people to break the silence – help them stop spreading the language of prejudice.

Have you ever encountered casual homophobic language in the workplace or among friends? What did you do? Share your story in the comments below!

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Our veterans deserve better

Yesterday, National Executive Vice-President Eddie Kennedy joined more than 150 protesters in Sydney, Nova Scotia, where the government wants to close a Veterans Affairs district office.

District offices are sprinkled around the country to help veterans who have questions about their benefits. The Sydney office is one of three district offices set to close in the Atlantic region.

Veterans in Sydney will now have to go to one of five Service Canada offices on the island. But the level of service there will be completely different.

“They’ll be directed to a computer or a toll-free number. They won’t have the same front-line support that they have at the Veterans Affairs office,” said Kennedy, who lives in Cape Breton.

If they require the kind of support that only a district office can offer, veterans will have no choice but to go to Halifax.

“And that’s a five-hour drive, one way,” added Kennedy.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has been grappling with cuts since 2011, when their budget was cut by $226 million. The department also plans to reduce its workforce by 500 over five years; over 1000 affected noticed have already been given out to VAC employees.

There are 145 veterans on Cape Breton Island.

The other district offices slated to close include Charlottetown, P.E.I; Corner Brook, N.L.; Windsor, Ont.; Thunder Bay, Ont.; Kelowna, B.C.; Saskatoon, Sask.; Brandon, Manitoba.