Presented by Ken Georgetti on Saturday, 18 June 2011

(Check against delivery)

Sisters and Brothers, I bring you greetings from the 3.2 million workers who are members of the Canadian Labour Congress.

It’s such an honour to be here as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the New Democratic Party – which was created by the Canadian Labour Congress joining together with the Commonwealth Cooperative Federation.

And it is an incredible thrill to celebrate our leader Jack Layton becoming the Leader of the Official Opposition!

Consœurs et confrères, je vous salue au nom des 3,2 millions de travailleurs et travailleuses qui font partie du Congrès du travail du Canada.

C’est un honneur d’être parmi vous pendant que vous célébrez le cinquantième anniversaire de la fondation du Nouveau Parti Démocratique, né de la conjugaison des efforts du Congrès du travail du Canada et de la Fédération du commonwealth coopératif.

Et je suis ravi de célébrer le fait que notre chef, Jack Layton, est devenu le chef de l’opposition officielle!

First let me say a few words of thanks to Jack, the caucus and thousands of people like you across the country who have supported workers in these last weeks in their struggles to preserve wages and pensions not only for themselves, but also for our children who will follow us into those workplaces.

Your solidarity with those workers means more to them than you can imagine.

The strike that just ended at Air Canada, and the lockout at Canada Post are not just about workers fighting to save their pension plans that they have paid into paycheque, after paycheque, after paycheque for years.

These disputes are also about the future of work for our children and our grandchildren who deserve decent, family-supporting wages and decent pensions plans after a lifetime of work.

If these corporations can get away with it, no working person's pension will be safe.

And it sure looks like they have an ally in this Conservative government.

I had the good fortune to already be home in Vancouver when CAW members at Air Canada began their strike on Monday.

And while the strike ended yesterday, there are still some labour leaders and delegates who have not been able to get here on time.

While they are not here physically, they are here in spirit.

They have asked me to convey to you their best wishes for a successful convention.

They too share your joy and happiness in the NDP's great electoral success last month.

Friends – we in labour were greatly honoured when Jack Layton made his first major speech as Opposition Leader to 2,500 delegates at the Canadian Labour Congress Convention in Vancouver last month.

Thank you Jack, for showing your strong commitment to the 3.2 million men and women who are members of the CLC and to the unions that represent them in the workplace!

But it was no surprise that Jack was there for working people – because that’s exactly what Jack and all our NDP MPs have always been doing – standing up for ordinary Canadians in Parliament and beyond.

It is the reason the party was founded fifty years ago by the CLC and the CCF.

We had a shared vision – a vision of a prosperous and progressive country where everyone shared in the wealth they produced.

A country with a political party that would stand up for the interests of working people.

A political party that would fight for laws to give them fundamental rights at work.

A political party that would help bring in public pensions so after a lifetime of work, everyday working people could retire in dignity.

A political party that would fight to bring in public healthcare, so that no one, no one, would lose their home or face bankruptcy because they had the misfortune to fall ill.

The NDP has always stood up for working people.

And working people themselves have been standing up for the NDP as well.

In every election union members have been a key part of the NDP’s organizational backbone – providing organizers, campaign managers, canvassers and candidates, and providing individual financial donations.

And I can tell you that our polling shows increasing voting support among union members for the NDP.

Union members have always voted for the NDP in rates higher than the general public.

Labour has been there for the NDP in the difficult times too – when the party was down to 9 seats – and we’re there for the NDP now with an incredible 103 seats – our support doesn’t waver.

The reason is simple – working people need to be represented in Parliament.

Workers need to hear their hopes and their concerns raised in what is appropriately named the “House of Commons” – not the “House of Lords.”

My great predecessor, the first President of the Canadian Labour Congress – Claude Jodoin – expressed our position simply and eloquently at the founding of the NDP. He said, and I quote: "A labour movement that is without interest in political matters is a labour movement that is evading one of the most fundamental responsibilities.”

That’s exactly right.

For working people, that party is the NDP.

Just look at the important issues Jack Layton raised in this last election campaign and you can see why:

Support for the CLC’s plan to provide retirement with dignity and security by expanding the Canada Pension Plan – the best way to help all Canadians.

Job protection and creation in parts of the country where manufacturing, forestry and other sectors are hurting and unemployment is high.

A cap on the outrageous credit card interest rates that are gouging Canadians to provide banks with windfall profits.

A national child care program for working families.

These are the issues our members want to see addressed – and thanks to the Orange Crush results last month – we know they will be.

Friends – I also have a warning – the Stephen Harper Conservative government has some anti-democratic tendencies that we must all be vigilant about.

We all have to be concerned about the Harper government’s intention to cut a huge $4 billion a year from needed federal public services.

Obviously Prime Minister Stephen Harper is determined to make public sector workers pay the price for yet more corporate tax cuts.

Even with corporate taxes lower in Canada than the United States and most G-20 countries, the insatiable greed of big business demands yet more tax cuts to fuel windfall profits.

But they don't stop there.

Handouts from the government aren't enough.

Look at Air Canada.

Every worker there has made significant sacrifices to keep that company viable – from machinists, to flight attendants, to baggage handlers, to pilots, to ticket agents – ticket agents whose starting wage is just $11.23 an hour now!

So after years of sacrifices and cutbacks to keep their company viable what does Air Canada do?

Attacks the pension plan that workers have contributed to for decades.

And what does Stephen Harper do when the workers strike for fairness?

Within 17 hours he was solidly in Air Canada's corner – legislating workers of a private corporation back to work.

And when postal workers were locked out by a company owned by the federal government itself, what did Stephen Harper do?

Instead of telling his own crown corporation to get back to the table and negotiate, he was solidly in Canada Post's corner, and will table legislation to set the terms of the new collective agreement.

Even the boss' newspaper – the Globe and Mail – was scratching its head over this pretty big cannon ball shot over the bow of the ship.

This is why after fifty years, the reasons why this party, the New Democratic Party, was created have not changed.

The reason why workers need the NDP have not changed.

Workers – union and non-union alike – need a political party in their corner.

Because a race to the bottom is not going to create a whole lot of jobs with decent pay and benefits that help with the cost of raising a family, or provide for a retirement in dignity after a lifetime of work.

Workers won't get that support from the Liberal Party.

You know, the Liberal party has always claimed that the NDP are simply “Liberals in a hurry”.

But after their May 2nd election disaster, the Liberals were in such a terrible hurry – they picked Bob Rae as their acting leader!

Since 2003 when our leader – the leader of the Official Opposition – was chosen, the Liberals have had 6 leaders and interim leaders!

They’re not much on stability but the Liberals are really into... recycling!

So my friends, after the celebration of the election and this Convention, all of us must get back to the hard work ahead.

Because starting Monday we need to do everything we can to convince Canadians of something that a good number of Québécois have already decided – that the very best thing for this country is a Prime Minister Jack Layton!

Un Jack Layton premier ministre serait bon pour l’emploi!

Un Jack Layton premier ministre serait bon pour l’environnement!

Un Jack Layton premier ministre serait bon pour la sécurité de la retraite!

Un Jack Layton premier ministre serait bon pour les soins de santé publics et les services publics!

A Prime Minister Jack Layton would be good for jobs!

A Prime Minister Jack Layton would be good for the environment!

A Prime Minister Jack Layton would be good for retirement security!

A Prime Minister Jack Layton would be good for public health care and public services!

A Prime Minister Jack Layton would be good for equality and democracy!

And a Prime Minister Jack Layton would be good for peacekeeping in this troubled world, not war-making!

So friends, we in the labour movement remain committed to rolling up our sleeves over the next for years, and together let’s engage Canadians about a better future with a positive vision.

And most of all, friends, let’s convince this country that an NDP government led by a Prime Minister Jack Layton is exactly what Canada needs.

Merci – thank you and have a great Convention.