Dear Mr. President:
In Senate-Committee testimony on Thursday, 13/4/17, you stated that “Thankfully, Transport Canada and Global Affairs have assured us that changes under CETA will in no way allow EU shipowners to bypass the Temporary Foreign Workers Program, which allow feeder services to operate between Montreal and Halifax. Foreign crew members on board will have to obtain temporary foreign worker permits.”
Yet, Clause 92 of Bill C-30, sub-paragraphs 2.3 and 2.4 state that European ship-owners are exempted from doing so when carrying international cargo between Montreal and Halifax, as well as as for the transport of empty containers between any Canadian port. The Canadian Immigration and Citizenship Agency has confirmed this.
Canada being a large exporter of raw materials, international cargo is by far the greatest type of marine cargo transported in Canada, including between Montreal and Halifax. Therefore, almost no T.F.W. permits will be required.
In fact, in the Government information guide entitled “Working temporarily in Canada”:
– Page 5, in the examples, states that foreign workers, under free trade agreements (like CETA) are exempt from Labor Market Impact Assessments (M.L.I.A.), so that there will be no opportunity given to determine whether Canadians were willing, able and given the opportunity to do the job.
– Page 9, entitled “Work permit exemptions” says crew members of foreign-owned vessels engaged in primarily international cargo transportation are not only exempt from obtaining Temporary Foreign Worker Permits, but again exempt from M.L.I.A.s, so no Canadians will be considered.
During the union’s last quarterly meeting in Montreal, on 6/3/17, you told members they’d be able to work on European ships between Montreal and Halifax at Canadian rates of pay as well as such foreign crew also doing so, at the same rate.
Since no Canadians will be given the opportunity for most of these jobs on a route granted to European ships under CETA, will you not at least advise the Senators of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, inquiring into Bill C-30 of these exemptions, correct any mistaken impression they may have that foreign seamen will receive median Canadian wages, so that they may consider recommending to the Senate that an amendment be made to the Bill and give not only me and our brother and sister seafarers the opportunity to work on these ships at Canadian wages, but foreign seafarers also?
You may also know that CETA’s Maritime Transport Chapter grants Maritime Cabotage Rights to low wage, Flag of Convenience European ships to all of Canada’s ports (Chapter 14, Article 3, sub-paragraph 2), held in abeyance for the time being only by Reservation II-C-14, which confers the appearance that CETA grants only the Halifax-Montreal corridor to European Interests. Should it be revoked, Maritime Cabotage Rights to all of Canada’s ports may be restored to European interests any time after CETA comes into Application, without requiring permission from Europeans or any further Debate or Approval from the Parliament of Canada.
Steve Verheul, Chief Canadian CETA Negotiator, in testimony before the Senate-Committee on 30/3/17, stated to Committee Chair Senator A. Raynelle Andreychuk: “It’s always easy to further liberalize a trade agreement. That’s not usually a problem to negotiate, amend, or just do it in practice.” Chief Officer of the Sydney, N.S., Mega Hub cargo terminal project, Muriel Usher, in testimony before the Committee, seems to agree with him as well as Senator Yuen Pau Woo, at least in respect to not having to consult with the Europeans to do so.
I trust that you will inform the Senators of the exemptions in Bill C-30 with all due haste, as not only ultimately are the jobs of the members of the S.I.U. of Canada at risk, but also those other thousands of Canadian seafarers who are union members, unaffiliated, officers, engineers, cooks and captains who all constitute the whole of the profession in Canada.
Fraternally,
Marc de Villers,
Wheelsman, “Camilla Desgagnes”,
CDN63142X,
D-1289.
Greate pieces. Keep writing such kind of info on your blog. Im really impressed by your site.