Throne Speech Offers Little Comfort to Worried Canadians

"This speech is supposed to put forward the government's vision for the future," Georgetti says, "but what Canadians heard today won't help them sleep any easier tonight and some of what they heard may well give them nightmares. People want jobs and if they lose them they want protection but I don't see those promises here."

Georgetti says the labour movement has a realistic plan to protect jobs and pensions. He is calling on Ottawa to:

- Immediately launch a major public investment program to create jobs now, to promote environmental goals and build new industries for the future.

- Increase access to Employment Insurance and training. Workers have paid billions into EI and the plan must be there for them when they need it. Benefits have been cut back drastically and must be improved. Laid-off workers must have better access to training programs for new jobs.

- Protect pensions by creating a pension guarantee fund and increase Old Age Security benefits to protect the incomes of retired people.

The Canadian Labour Congress, the national voice of the labour movement, represents 3.2 million Canadian workers. The CLC brings together Canada's national and international unions along with the provincial and territorial federations of labour and 130 district labour councils. Web site: www.canadianlabour.ca

Dennis Gruending