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Minister Raitt visits Port Metro Vancouver to highlight historic agreement
May 10, 2011
Today, the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Canada’s Minister of Labour, visited Port Metro Vancouver to congratulate workers and employers for ratifying a historic eight-year collective agreement, which will help ensure the continued recovery of Canada’s still-fragile economy.
“The collective agreement between BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada is great news for both parties, but the real winners are Canadians,” said Minister Raitt. “This agreement will help to strengthen our still-fragile economy because it means trade can continue to flow through the Port to destinations across Canada and around the world.”
Port Metro Vancouver’s activities are directly responsible for nearly 130 000 jobs. Across Canada, workers, business owners and farmers depend on the west coast port system for their livelihood.
“With this agreement, the message is clear: Canada is open to business and can be relied upon to meet the import and export demands of the 21st century,” added Minister Raitt.
The previous collective agreement, covering a unit of approximately 4 500 longshoremen, expired March 31, 2010. The Labour Program’s Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) played a key role in assisting the parties throughout their negotiations.
“On behalf of the Government, I applaud all efforts made between the parties to reach this resolution. The best solution in any dispute is one reached by the parties themselves,” concluded Minister Raitt.
Photo caption: The Hon. Stockwell Day (President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway) and the Hon. Lisa Raitt (Minister of Labour) look on as Tom Dufresne, President, ILWU (left) and Andy Smith, President, BCMEA, sign the historic eight-year collective agreement.
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