Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 17:23:08 -0500
From: Roy Adams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: UN Calls for Repeal of Ontario Act
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United Nations Calls for Repeal of Ontario's Prevention of Unionism Act
Now it is official. The United Nations' Committee on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights has marked the Harris government as a clear human rights
violator. Paragraph 31 of the Committee's "concluding observations" on
Canada's compliance with the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights refer to Ontario's Prevention of Unionism Act as "a clear violation
of article 8 of the Covenant..." and calls on the government "to take
measures to repeal the offending provisions."
The Progressive Conservative government pushed through the Act even though
The Society for the Promotion of Human Rights in Employment provided it
with documentation and commentary from international human rights experts
that the bill was offensive to international human rights norms and that
it reneged on Ontario's international obligations under the UN's Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The entire text of Paragraph 31 is enclosed below. Please consider sending
a fax to Janet Ecker the Minister of Social and Community Affairs (416 325
5221) asking her to comply immediately with the directive of the
Committee.
Roy J. Adams
Chair, Steering Committee
Society for the Promotion of Human Rights in Employment
"31. The Committee notes that Bill 22, entitled "An Act to Prevent
Unionization", was adopted by the Ontario Legislative Assembly on 24
November 1998. The Act denies to workfare participants the rights to join
a trade union, to bargain collectively and to strike. In response to a
request from the Committee, the Government provided no information in
relation to the compatibility of the Act with the Covenant. The Committee
considers the Act to be a clear violation of article 8 of the Covenant and
calls upon the State Party to take measures to repeal the offending
provisions."
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Roy J. Adams
McMaster University tel: 905-525-9140, ext 23965
Hamilton, Canada fax: 905-521-8995
L8S 4M4 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
web: http://www.business.mcmaster.ca/hrlr/profs/adamsr/index.htm
"NO REGULATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION"
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