The latest Harper Cabinet blazer is Minister of Human Resources Diane Finley. She’s been making patently false accusations against front-line workers in employment centres to cover up own grievous mishandling of her portfolio.
Pressing ahead with her plans to close most employment centres across the country (from the present 120 to 19), Finley has begun the cutback process by releasing approximately 1,000 temporary workers, and imposing a general ban on overtime during a season in which unemployment peaks.
That’s gotta hurt, as wrestling fans would say. Cut the workers and, you know, you cut the services they were providing. The workers have been expected to take up the slack, and, under more pressure than ever given current unemployment rates, they’re not able to keep up.
But Finley is, incredibly, accusing those front-line employees of sabotage.
It’s a work-to-rule, she claims, demonstrating utter ignorance of how those things work. Working to rule is not the easiest thing in the world to organize, first of all: it takes considerable effort at the grassroots level and a campaign by the leadership. By its very nature, it’s not a tactic that can be carried out in secret.
But that’s precisely what the conspiracy-minded Minister is insisting is taking place. Across the country, EI workers are allegedly slowing down production in a concerted manner, apparently getting their marching orders by telepathy.
Needless to say, those workers are upset by the Minister’s public comments. Many of them are employed in small communities and provide services to their own friends and neighbours who have fallen on hard times. Being accused of betraying the latter is galling, and has resulted in a flood of complaints.
Their union has demanded a meeting with the Minister, and a public apology. I expect they’re not holding their collective breath.
In the meantime, welcome, Minister Finley, to the Pantsafire Pantheon.
Note: I would welcome being sued by Pantsafire laureate Peter MacKay. You lied, sir—and not for the first time.