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Community forums asking ordinary citizens to come forward with 'concrete ideas ... that work for everybody.'
Vancouver (10 June 2009) - The BC Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) and the Health Sciences Association of BC (HSABC) are staging "community response" forums in cooperation with the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) to gather opinions and ideas from ordinary Canadians on how to deal with the current economic crisis.
The first forum will be held in Nanaimo on Thursday, June 11, at 7 p.m. in the Beban Community Centre, 2300 Bowen Road, Room 19/20. Details of the second forum will be announced later.
The forums are part of a national campaign to allow Canadians from all walks of life input into the discussion about the current economic crisis and to ensure that
governments find solutions that work for all Canadians.
"It seems like almost every day there is a new plant or mill closure in Canada with hundreds or thousands of jobs lost," says BCGEU president Darryl Walker.
"At the same time, we hear more and more reports about the newly unemployed unable to access the help and resources they need to weather the economic storm."
Hearing from those most affected
HSABC says the crisis is severe and governments are not hearing from the people most affected. The community forums are a way for busy but concerned Canadians to make their voices heard, and provide our governments with a better picture of the real effects of the recession on families and communities.
"When it comes to finding solutions, the only people our governments seem to be listening to are the same ones who got us into trouble in the first place. That's right – it's the CEOs, the bankers, the stockbrokers and 'free market' experts who Ottawa and Victoria are turning to to try and fix our busted economy," Walker says.
"Canadian workers need positive changes that will make a real difference and get the economy back on its feet. And we need to make sure that important public services stay intact throughout this trying time," Walker argues.
"I believe that ordinary people have concrete ideas about how to alleviate the effects of the recession. That's why, in conjunction with our national union – NUPGE – BCGEU will be sponsoring two 'community response' forums to give workers a chance to develop economic solutions that work for everybody."
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
More information:
Cut Me a Slice - A People's Response to the Economic Crisis