3 posts tagged “government”

Last year, I posted some links to stories about deaths of Canadians vacationing in Mexico. There have been more since then. As a matter of fact, I believe there have been two more just since the beginning of 2008. I don't like the fact that my sister and her family are going to Mexico in a couple of weeks for a vacation. At least they aren't going to one of the more popular areas, which seems to be where the trouble is happening.

Tonight, again on W-5, there was as story concerning Mexico. This time it's about a  Canadian woman who has been wrongfully imprisoned there for two years. There is a condensed version of the broadcast here, but I encourage you, especially if you are Canadian, to watch the two-part broadcast. The links are on the same page, just to the right of the top of the story.

The government needs to be held accountable.

Earlier this month, I posted about the new holiday announced by our premier after he got re-elected. Today, through a news email we get weekly here at work, I came across an article from the Ottawa Citizen stating that federal employees (who already happen to get almost as many days off as someone who doesn't even have a job) will not be eligible for this new holiday. Try not to feel too sorry for these poor public servants as you read the article, which I've pasted below.

A major union representing thousands of federal workers in Ottawa has been swamped by phone calls from members demanding to know why they won't be enjoying Ontario's recently announced Family Day holiday in February.

Ed Cashman, regional executive vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), said calls began once re-elected Premier Dalton McGuinty confirmed his election promise of a new provincial statutory holiday.

"We're getting hundreds of phone calls in our office saying: 'hey, how come everybody else gets this and we don't'?" said Mr. Cashman.
"But people need to know that what the premier said doesn't necessarily apply to everyone in this province equally."

The holiday is scheduled to be celebrated on the third Monday of February, beginning on Feb. 18, 2008.

Mr. McGuinty announced the holiday as an opportunity for families to spend more quality time together.

"I can think of no better way for the government to get to work than to give the families a little more of what they value above all else -- time together," the premier said at a news conference last week.

But Mr. Cashman said many families in Ottawa will not be granted this time.

"If you work for the public service, you're not going to get the day off," he said.

"Ironically, the Family Day is not going to reunite families because one member of the couple might be having the day off and the other will not."

But a primary public service employer said Mr. Cashman's revelation is not news.

"We've been very clear about that ever since this was first announced," said Robert Makichuk, chief of media relations for the Treasury Board, which employs about 75,000 public servants in Ottawa.

"Federally, there are 11 designated paid holidays and despite the addition of a day off in February, our collective agreements do not provide for an additional day off," said Mr. Makichuk.

A spokesman from the provincial Ministry of Labour said federal employees are not under Mr. McGuinty's control.

"Since federal employees fall under federal jurisdiction, their public holidays are determined by the Canada Labour Code," said Bruce Skeaff. "Family Day is being introduced through the Ontario Employment Standards Act."

Mr. Cashman said he wants Family Day to "be inclusive and extend to as many workers as possible and not just be limited to workers of the Employment Standards Act."

"We would want Mr. McGuinty to reflect on the true intent of a family holiday and if he could exert any pressure on Prime Minister Harper, that would be a really great thing," said Mr. Cashman. "The people that are going to suffer the most are the people from Ottawa."

A spokesperson for Mr. McGuinty had no comment.

Over the past couple of years, there have been several mysterious deaths of Canadians vacationing in Mexico. Tonight, W-5 profiled the case of Domenico and Annunziata Ianiero with exclusive access to police files and interviews with all of the main people involved. I had sort of followed the story as it unraveled at the beginning of 2006, but what I saw in this show made me sick. The link is to a brief rundown of the case, and at the left of the page are links to the four segments of the show itself. If you really want to feel ill, watch our own government lackey in the two-part interview underneath the story links.

This story really is worth watching. Please pass it along to as many people as you can.