Canadian workers need to recover their ferocity

Click on these links to read Part One and Part Two of this series.

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by David Anderson

Canada once understood what it meant to be fierce, to defend sacred boundaries. The good life and relative peace existing for generations is the result of that tenacity.

During the invasion of Normandy in 1944, Canada was charged with one of the five beaches deemed necessary for the successful invasion of Europe. On that day, June 6th, about fifteen thousand Canadians stormed their assigned target and successfully took it. The effort wounded or killed some 1400. That is fierce behavior. That is a staunch defense of firmly held beliefs, for some, costing everything.

Sadly, this ferocity has been bred out of the majority; life is now imitating art through an application of Aldous Huxley’s book “Brave New World,” whereby the population is controlled by pleasure and mind-altering substances. Distraction is not a new tool in the acquirement of power. A return to a passionate, principled bulwark of freedom honours the gift given to us by the brave Canadians who stormed the beach at Normandy.

As grandiose as it may sound, it begins with the workplace, at all levels. 

In the Canadian workplace today, the trajectory of union representation has departed from its roots, becoming increasingly aligned with the narrative of the day, its own well-being and self-preservation. This is as opposed to doing what it was intended to do: staunchly defend labouring workers. This has become glaringly obvious over the last two years in the assault upon the rights of the population as a whole. Unionization and how it operates needs a return, and the people that form the workplace collective are the only ones capable of that renewal. 

Time, effort, and education are the tools needed to right this ship. Within those tools are the processes of accountability, honesty, and virtuous behaviour. 

This is true in all arenas where money is extracted from us

Paying someone to do a job elicits an expectation of excellence on the part of the purchaser. This is the right position. However, it does not absolve the purchaser of oversight. To do so is to be foolhardy with one’s money, opening the door to abuse. This is true in all arenas where money is extracted from us.

Union membership is a microcosm of society; it requires involvement. It is uncomfortable at times, as passion, self-interest, and the overbearing nature of opinion make for a messy process, but without engagement you are subject to its whims.

The union electoral process is the best way to breed accountability into representation. Healthy public systems remain that way because the pressure of replacement dictates the quality of work done. This is true of all positions. As unions have become nepotistic and bloated, they do not fear their constituents; like all levels of representation, this needs to change.

An investment in the quality of your life

Understanding the basics of any system automatically makes that system more efficient and accountable. A surface level familiarity of labour law plus how and when local union elections were conducted would transform the union, trimming the fat from representation. For this to happen, it will require effort on your part. It is an investment in the quality of your life. The simple expectation of another is not enough.

Trust in our institutions needs to be verified. They all have tremendous power over our lives. Without reform, the electoral process is an exploitable weak point. There are elaborate systems governing elections, with the cornerstone being the secret ballot vote. In a perfect world, this wouldn’t be a problem. The desire to do the right thing would govern all things. Lip service is paid to this altruism, but practice more closely resembles the darker facets of human nature.

The secret ballot vote is the basis for the acquirement of power. I suggest that accountability be returned to the electoral process via an open system. Meaning, I am openly professing my support for one candidate or another. The fallacy of protecting privacy as a necessity for secret ballot elections needs to cease. It opens the door to unscrupulous behaviour.

The workplace, foundations of representation, a collective agreement, and the balance brought through an engaged, educated employee are the keys to forcing systems that again work for the benefit of the individual. As this is accomplished, the individual is then strengthened and equipped to continue society’s upward gains. 

We are at a precipice. There is a short time to remove the blinders and accurately assess the peril we face and take action. My dramatic statements can easily be dismissed as bellicose and fear-mongering. You are welcome to do that at your and your children’s peril. For if we do not soon rekindle the fire of freedom, its warmth, producing the relative comfort and ease enjoyed, will be perverted into an unrecognizable form, more closely resembling the structure of feudal systems of old.

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David Anderson has worked as a Truck Driver, Chef, Pastor, Counsellor, and in Program Development in the recovery community. Now he works to improve the quality of life through truth; he provides education and skills training in common sense, personal responsibility, quality decision-making skills and emotional management. David hopes Canada returns to sanity before the pending economic truth causes BC to be sold to China to cover the foreign-owned debt.