Things can change a lot in one year. Newfoundland and Labrador’s fiscal situation has improved significantly since May 2021. The doomsayers, who a year ago beat the drum of bankruptcy, were not very good predictors of the future. The deficit was less than half of what was predicted in the 2021-2022 budget ($826 million to $400 million). NL debt to …
Newfoundland and Labrador budget missing supports for frontline workers
“This is a centralizing budget that proposes nothing concrete for the frontline workers who have carried our province through this pandemic,” says CUPE NL President Sherry Hillier. “Instead, this government will add to the existing challenges we are facing with a totally unnecessary restructuring of the whole health care system that won’t result in one extra minute of patient care.” “Why throw the entire …
CUPE NL submission to Premier’s Economic Recovery Team
The following submission was sent to Dame Moya Marguerite Greene OC, DBE, on January 12, 2021. After the recent resignation of Newfoundland Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL) President Mary Shortall from the Economic Recovery Team (ERT), members of CUPE Newfoundland Labrador (NL) are concerned about the substance of the report the ERT plans to submit to government. Following a year …
CUPE Submission to the Newfoundland and Labrador 2018 Pre-Budget Consultation
CUPE NL supports the position taken by the Common Front NL in urging government to focus on protecting existing jobs in the public and private sectors and invest to stimulate economic growth in the short term. The real crisis facing the province is not how to balance the books but how to stop rising unemployment. Yes, the deficit needs to …
Future of public libraries remains uncertain
No hope was offered to public library workers in the provincial budget announced today by Newfoundland and Labrador Finance Minister Cathy Bennett. Workers anticipated a definitive answer on what the province intends to do with the 54 libraries slated to be closed – or if they will continue to have a job. Those questions remain unanswered. CUPE has been calling …
Submission to the NL Minister of Finance Pre-Budget Consultation
In the Pre-Budget Discussion Guide, the Minister of Finance asks submissions to focus on aspects of the government’s economic plan outlined in The Way Forward. CUPE Newfoundland Labrador, along with the Common Front NL, has communicated strong opposition to the economic direction government is currently pursuing. CUPE has made clear in meetings with the Minister of Finance and in various briefs …
Private financing wrong direction for Canadian infrastructure bank
A report written by CUPE Economist Toby Sanger warns that private financing of the proposed Canada Infrastructure Bank could double the cost of infrastructure projects, and shows how the bank can instead provide low-cost, public financing for much-needed projects. The study was published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in advance of the federal budget, where more details of the proposed …