Tom Graham, President of CUPE Saskatchewan

“The Supreme Court of Canada ruling that determined the provincial government’s essential services legislation to be unconstitutional and severely infringing on the rights of workers is no joke,” wrote Tom Graham in a letter to the editor responding to the Premier’s twitter post last week making light of the recent decision.

“While Premier Wall chooses to joke, The Canadian Union of Public Employees stands prepared to seriously discuss public safety and workers’ rights.”

LETTER: A serious issue
Published February 5, 2015 in The Regina Leader-Post.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruling that determined the provincial government’s essential services legislation to be unconstitutional and severely infringing on the rights of workers is no joke.

That is why it was disappointing to see Premier Brad Wall make light of the ruling on his Twitter account last Friday, referring to Weston Dressler, who signed a four-year deal with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, as “an essential service in Saskatchewan that the Supreme Court cannot overturn.”

In its 5-2 decision, the top court carefully reviewed the legislation and evidence submitted by the province, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour and several interveners, and determined the legislation failed the constitutional test. The court did not say there can be no essential services legislation, and it gave the provincial government one year to develop new legislation.

While Premier Wall chooses to joke, The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) stands prepared to seriously discuss public safety and workers’ rights.

TOM GRAHAM
President, CUPE Saskatchewan

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