Perry Work Report December 17, 2007

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Wage Earner Protection for the Workers of Bankrupt Employers: Bill C-12, a series of amendments to existing insolvency and wage protection laws received Royal Assent on December 14th. Bill C-12 contains amendments that address shortcomings of Bill C-55, including amendments to the Wage Earner Protection Program Act. Employees' wages and pensions are now protected when a company goes bankrupt. The Act also protects workers' collective agreements from unilateral changes by bankruptcy judges.

Links: “Workers finally have new law to protect their wages”, December 14, 2007, CLC website; “Amendments to the Wage Earner Protection Program and Insolvency Reforms Receive Royal Assent, December 14, 2007”, Canada News Centre, Human Resources and Social Development Canada.

Services for Recent Immigrants to Canada : There are several recent Canadian initiatives to aid immigrants to adapt to the Canadian workforce. The Federal government has established 320 centres across the country to help internationally trained individuals find the information they need to get their credentials assessed. Also, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada has developed a website, Working in Canada, to provide labour market information for prospective and new immigrants. Alberta has launched an immigration web portal to attract immigrants to that province and make the transition smoother.

Links: News Release: Foreign credentials referral services now offered at 320 Service Canada Centres across Canada, November 30, 2007, ( html); Working in Canada ( Web portal) ; Immigrate to Alberta ( Web portal).

Temporary Foreign Workers in Alberta : The Alberta Federation of Labour has released a report on the activities of its Temporary Foreign Worker's Advocate Program. The program was initiated in April 2007 to address concerns over the treatment and living conditions of foreign workers in Alberta , and the effects these workers are having on wages and the labour market.

Links: Temporary Foreign Workers - Alberta 's disposable workforce: The Six-Month Report of the AFL's Temporary Foreign Worker Advocate, November 29, 2007, (24 pages, PDF); Media release.

Canadian Cities that Attract Skilled Workers: The Conference Board of Canada has published a report benchmarking the features of Canadian cities that make them attractive for skilled workers. Twenty-seven Canadian cities are ranked among themselves and are also ranked against 27 American cities.

Links: City Magnets: Benchmarking the Attractiveness of Canada's CMAs , Conference Board of Canada, December 2007 (10-page executive summary is available to download); “Cities in global competition for talent” by Caroline Alphonso, Globe and Mail, December 12, 2007

Nova Scotia Government Continues to Increase Diversity Efforts: The Nova Scotia Public Service Commission has released its annual progress report outlining departmental activities in 2006-2007 that have helped improve workplace culture and diversity representation. Programs include the Diversity Talent Pool which helps to increase representation of designated groups through short-term, casual job placements and the Diversity Accommodation Fund which helps departments attract and retain employees with disabilities by ensuring work-related barriers are removed.

Links: Diversity: Moving Toward Equity: Affirmative Action and Diversity in the Nova Scotia Public Service 2006-2007, December 13, (21 pages, PDF); Media release.

The Consequences of Canada's Aging Population: The December 2007 issue of Horizons, the online journal of the Federal government's Policy Research Initiative, looks at demographic trends in Canada to the year 2017 and at some of the consequences of our aging population. Articles examine such topics as employment and the labour market, diversity, and health care.

Link: Horizons: Population at 2017: The Many Dimensions of Population Aging, Vol. 9, No. 4, December 2007 (57 pages, PDF).

Employee Productivity and Health: Two recent reports released by Watson Wyatt examine best practices in employer health and productivity programs. The reports find that absenteeism, disability and other health-related matters are costing the average participating organization millions each year in benefit payouts and lost productivity, and that companies with the most effective health and productivity programs have superior financial results.

Links: Building an Effective Health & Productivity Framework, 2007/2008 Staying@Work, Watson Wyatt, December 2007, (28 pages, PDF); Effective Presence at Work - 2007 Staying@Work Survey Report – Canada, (summary HTML)

Policy Suggestions to Improve Canada 's Productivity: The Centre for the Study of Living Standards has released a report suggesting three specific policies to improve Canada 's productivity performance: foster the diffusion of best-practice technologies; remove the provincial sales tax on purchases of machinery and equipment; and promote inter-provincial movement of workers.

Link: Three Policies to Improve Productivity Growth in Canada by Andrew Sharpe, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, December 2007 (49 pages, PDF).

Reflections on the U.S. National Labor Relations Act: Wilma B. Liebman, a member of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, has written an essay on the National Labor Relations Act and the Board that administers it. She contends that the Act, which has not been updated in 60 years, is no longer adequate for today's economy and that the Board has not applied the Act "dramatically". She also recently made a statement before joint United States Senate and House of Representatives subcommittees regarding the performance of the Board.

Links: Decline and Disenchantment: Reflections on the Aging of the National Labor Relations Board, by Wilma B. Liebman (22 pages, PDF); The National Labor Relations Board: Recent Decisions and Their Impact on Workers' Rights, by Wilma B. Liebman, December 13, 2007 (35 pages, PDF).