Union leaders worry more jobs will be lost by suspension of Parliament

A spirited gathering of labour representatives in support of a Liberal-NDP coalition government turned sombre as word came in that Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean allowed the minority Conservatives to hold onto power, at least until January.

The clearly deflated leaders of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers, Canadian Auto Workers, and United Steelworkers were calling on Jean to allow a confidence vote Monday that could have toppled the government.

"To think that the Governor General can prolong this insane economic insecurity driven by Stephen Harper and (Finance Minister) Jim Flaherty is wrong-headed," said CAW president Ken Lewenza, who represents 250,000 members.

"(The Governor General) made a very poor decision on behalf of Canadians," said Lewenza. "It's a sad day for democracy."

With Parliament not expected to resume until late January, the unions are worried about what a delay in an economic stimulus package could mean for their members.

"For us, it's total chaos because there's no government to talk to," said Dave Coles of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, which represents some 150,000 workers in the forest industry.

"I think that not only will Canadians be disappointed, but many of them will lose their jobs as a result of (Harper's) action today."

Coles and Lewenza said that they wanted the confidence vote to proceed as it likely would have resulted in a Liberal-NDP coalition government, which had promised an immediate economic stimulus program.

It's unclear how Prime Minister Stephen Harper could bail out the auto sector without passing such a measure through the now-suspended Parliament.

Speaking at a Toyota plant opening in Woodstock, Ont., on Thursday, Industry Minister Tony Clement insisted there are government funds available to help automakers.

"It is possible for us to continue to act within the confines of budget 2008," Clement said. "We still have spending decisions that we can and should make."

However, Clement wouldn't specify where he'll find the billions of dollars that automakers will likely be asking for.

Thursday's announced closure of AbitibiBowater's Grand Falls, N.L., newsprint mill and the loss of 1,100 jobs is a sign of what's to come if industries don't get help from Ottawa sooner rather than later, said Coles.

"We may not have an industry left the way this is going," Coles said, pointing to several other plants slated to close in coming days.

In recent weeks, job cuts in the forestry industry have slashed 30,000 members from ranks of the forestry union, Coles said.

"There is no time to waste... We don't have eight weeks to wait."

A Liberal-NDP coalition government backed by the Bloc Quebecois appears ready to act where the Harper Conservatives have failed, the unions argued.

"Right now, we need all of our political leaders to work together for the good of the country and the economy," Ken Neumann, president of the steel workers' union which represents 280,000 workers, said in a statement. Neumann was unable to attend Thursday's press conference.

The union leaders were also extremely critical of Harper's attacks on Quebec separatists and the Bloc Quebecois, and accused him of trying to divide the country and play politics at such a critical time.

Quebecers are just as concerned about the economy as anywhere else in the country, Lewenza said.