Policy

Alberta workers and their families are under attack!

Alberta’s economy is geared to uncontrolled growth with record profits for energy corporations and financial speculators in the midst of stagnation elsewhere. Contradictions abound: We are told there's plenty of jobs and a shortage of labour but unemployment stays high. We are told that our quality of life depends on the success of oil companies, but their profits are not reinvested in us. We are told that Alberta is a land of plenty yet food bank use soars. The Redford government will be rolling out “austerity” because the game plan is to discipline the working class and roll back the gains we made in previous decades. The OCCUPY movement is in the most recent dramatic example of confronting this agenda. Keep popular dissent growing by voting Communist.

What is the situation for workers?

Longer hours, worsening working conditions, larger debts, higher rents, under-funded and reduced quality of health care, increasing tuition, over-crowded classrooms, not enough schools and lack of affordable childcare. Low paid workers working two, three and four jobs and using food banks. Students who should be studying are working more hours to pay for education. Children are entering the workforce in greater numbers to help with family living costs. All this while big oil companies continue to post record profits!

And what is the forty year regime’s response? More of the same ‘lease, dig and dump’. “Don’t touch the brake,” has been dressed up in a new suit - ‘sustainable growth’ for the big engineering, construction and oil companies. While the most vulnerable workers labour without union protection, oil executives and speculators are making out like bandits. Instead of representing all Albertans, Premier Redford is sent by Harper to Washington DC to assure Big Oil that their plans and profits are safe with the Progressive Conservatives in Alberta continuing in power.

Let's replace the corporate agenda with a people’s agenda!

There is an alternative - where the tremendous wealth created by Alberta workers is used for the peoples’ needs.

Quality of life and social services :

The Tories kept on cutting necessary services all through the Klein and Stelmach years – even with surpluses! Their response to the housing shortage is to let market forces force workers into slums. The government’s 10 year plan to end homelessness while addressing extreme homelessness is simply not enough. We need quality, affordable housing for all working people.

The Communist Party-Alberta alternative

 Reduce the cost of shelter

Fund CMHC insurance costs for first time home buyers; impose rent controls; build 100,000 provincially subsidized housing units; public ownership of utilities to reduce costs to consumers

 Provide Quality healthcare – publicly funded and delivered

End all user fees; expand medicare with dental care, prescriptions, eye care and health promotion; increase staffing, reduce wait times; provide quality public facilities for an aging population – including homecare and institutional care

 Create free childcare programs

Fully funded childcare and before- and after-school care programs, a nurse in every school

 Fund all public education

More teachers and special needs professionals; No parent fees for school trips, school supplies, sports, cultural programs or text books; reduced hours for teachers; more apprenticeship training; no post secondary school fees; free public transportation to and from schools; free lunch programs in all public schools

Working conditions:

The Tories collaborate with the corporations to maximize profit by minimizing benefits to workers.

The Communist Party-Alberta alternative:

 Repeal barriers to unionization

 Double the minimum wage, indexed to inflation and no exceptions

 32 hour work week with no loss in take home pay

 Full rights for foreign workers to unite, not divide workers

End child labour in Alberta

Environment:

Energy companies make record profits without putting a penny into cleaning up their own mess!

The Communist Party-Alberta alternative:

 Enforce strict environmental controls; prohibitive fines to polluters; criminal charges for corporate executives

 Major publicly funded research into alternative energy and non-polluting oil sands extraction, with public ownership of patents

 Require full environmental clean up before new oil sands projects

Take public ownership in energy projects to obtain public access to corporate bottom lines and internal reports on environmental matters – improve the wording here – suggest “Public ownership in energy projects to give public access to corporate financial and environmental data”

Economy:

The Tories continue to keep this a one-sided economy, totally dependent on oil and gas and coal, totally subservient to corporate interests.

The Communist Party alternative:

 Public ownership in energy corporations

 Increase energy royalties to at least average world rates

Stop feeding the American war machine. Diversify sales of energy resources to domestic and foreign customers pledged to peaceful use

 Use a portion of oil revenues to diversify the economy, end dependence on energy extraction

 Research and development in post-carbon technologies

Process energy resources in Alberta; keep good jobs here

Democratic rights:

Alberta has the worst record in Canada for human rights protection.

The Communist Party alternative:

 Labour rights are human rights!

 Pay equity legislation

 First Nations community rights to self-government, environmental protection, and economic development

Full human rights protection to gay/lesbian/transgendered/bisexual/queer persons

 Proportional representation: make every vote count

 Public funding of all registered parties

Naomi Rankin in Edmonton Mill Creek

Naomi Rankin is a retired computer programmer who has been a political is activist in peace, women's and social justice groups since the age of 15.

Bonnie Devine in Calgary East

Bonnie Devine works in telecommunications and is Vice President of her union loc al. She is also an anti-racist activist. She has lives in Calgary East with her four children and spouse.

Pamphlet authorized by Official Agent, Communist Party – Alberta, March 27, 2012