The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2016-10-12, Page 5Wednesday, October 12, 2016 • Huron Expositor 5 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com Unknown Hopefuls bode well for Tories Last week, Saskatch- ewan MP Andrew Scheer announced he has joined the contest to head the federal Con- servatives. Political observers sighed; when would a political star emerge to lead the party Stephen Harper left behind? Also last week, no one announced he or she was running for the helm of the federal NDP party. Political observers shrugged; none expected anything different. What are the lessons from seeing no heavy hit- ters in the Tory race, and apparently no hitters at all in the NDP one? Per- haps not what you think. The Conservatives, holding 96 seats in the Commons, have not suf- fered the soul-destroy- ing, leader -humiliating exercise Tom Mulcair endured last spring at his party's Edmonton convention. Instead, the Tory boss stepped aside quietly, his party intact and well -funded. An interim leader was quickly chosen, and the party of the right chugged along, if not in flashy fashion, at least competently. So far, six people have filed papers to succeed Harper, and there could be as many as nine or 10 within weeks. The rub, for some strat- egists, is few of these wannabes are household names. Scheer, Maxime Bernier, Michael Chong, Deepak Obhrai. Who, you ask, are they? Tony Clement has some pro- file; ditto Kellie Leitch. But Conservative star Jason Kenney is out; Peter MacKay is out. It's not yet known if Kevin O'Leary, Lisa Raitt, Ste- ven Blaney, Chris Alex- ander or a few other names will join the fray. Or the declared candi- dates who haven't yet filed formally. This crowd of mostly unknowns speaks, in our opinion, not to a prob- lem in the party but to its health. People run for the leadership of a politi- cal entity because they believe it can win with them in charge. Many of Foreign labourers deserve a fair shake As successive fed- eral governments wrestle with the temporary foreign worker program, let's not lose sight of one thing -- the employees themselves. Employers in several sectors, such as agricul- ture and hospitality, depend on the program to keep their doors open. They need foreign work- ers to occupy positions that can't be filled by Canadians -- either because they don't have the specialized knowl- edge or they don't want to perform the work. Recently, a parliamen- tary committee released a review of the program. Its report invites atten- tion to a year-long Cal- gary Herald investigation by Alia Dharssi. The government, to the greatest extent possible, should stop the abuse of foreign workers by pred- atory recruiters who gouge applicants. Dhars- si's investigation found workers paid between $2,000 and $10,000 for access to a low -paid position and, even then, often faced mistreatment by their recruiters. Employers have also been involved in shady dealings. When Canada relies on foreign labourers, we must protect them from abuse. And we must familiarize them with their rights and methods of seeking recourse. It's also important that rather than relying on reports of abuse, the government engages in more inspec- tions to ensure workers' fair treatment. It would also help if workers weren't attached to a single employer but, instead, to a particular sector. That would avoid the power imbalance that too often exists in these employer-employee relationships. Canada also needs to do a better job of allowing temporary foreign work- ers to gain permanent resident status. Although the program is by its nature intended to be short term, many of the participants develop strong ties to their work- places and their commu- nities. It is callous to insist they leave the country after a four-year stint, or wait another four years before embarking on another four-year contract. These people -- work- ers who have demon- strated their value and gained an appreciation of Canadian values and customs (and the weather) -- should be among the strongest applicants for citizenship in this country. Indeed, in demanding they return to their countries, Canada has created a thriving underground economy filled by work- ers whose permits have expired but are deter- mined to stay. Canada should rely on foreign workers to the least extent possible, but when they come to our country and provide valu- able labour, they should be treated with compas- sion to the greatest extent possible. It's the right thing to do. seaforthhuronexpositor.com LET'S MAKE CANCER HISTORY €{ir informati n about cancer, services or to rrinite dciaLlari 1 888.939-3333 * wvU 4 cancer ca Canadian Cancer Salol} 7.0 tiJ Suciijk ramJdxnne du rawer these candidates are young. They come from across the country. There is ethnic and gender diversity. They present a wide swath of ideas -- from Leitch's controver- sial Canadian values platform to Bernier's government -be -damned libertarianism. There will be Christian Conserva- tives, big -tent Tories and narrow ideologues. The competition between them will be healthier for the Conservative party than any coronation of an early favourite or old face. To the NDP, mean- while, we can wish only the best. It has no official leadership candidates, a sign few of its adherents believe it can take power, although Mulcair almost did. But politics is a fickle business. Sometimes, stars eclipse others from the get -go, a la Justin Trudeau; as often, stars are born from good, old- fashioned toil. One of these parties seems to know that; the other should relearn it. Scoreboard Seaforth Shuffleboard Oct. 5 Men's high: Arnold Ram- sey 4 wins, Harvey Norton 3 wins. Women's high: Joyce Mat- zold 4 wins, Charlotte Norton 3 wins. HAVE AN OPINION? The Huron Expositor welcomes letters to the editor. They must be signed and accompanied by a phone number for information clarification. It is important to note, letters will not be printed without the author's name attached. All letters are subjectto editing due to possible space restriction. Letters can be dropped off at the office, mailed or emailed: The Huron Expositor 8 Main St. P.O. Box 69 Seaforth, ON NOK 1W0 Shaun.Gregory@sunmedia.ca www.seaforthhuronexpositor. co m