It’s been over three years since Bill 6, the Enhanced Protection for Farmworkers Act, came into effect in Alberta.
Many will remember the massive controversy around the legislation, which required that Workers Compensation Board (WCB) be extended to non-family farm workers earning a wage.
There were huge protests by farmers, most notably one demonstration by 1,000 farmers outside the Alberta Legislature. The controversy owed in part to some poor communication by the NDP government.
Since then, a number of updates have occurred to the Employment Standards Code, Labour Relations Code and the Occupational Health and Safety Act in relation to farmworkers.
These changes were developed in consultation with the agriculture community, as the province established several working groups composed of farmers and producer organization representatives.
For the most part, the agriculture industry has adjusted to the changes. So why bring up the matter now? It’s because the United Conservative Party (UCP) has pledged to repeal Bill 6 if they come to power.
“We want to ensure that a farm safety program has huge buy-in by the group that is affected,” says MLA Glenn van Dijken. “We need the stigma of Bill 6 gone and start afresh.”
Pure poppycock. van Dijken may claim that Bill 6’s implementation was “ideological,” but what is its repeal except a symbolic gesture, a sign that the UCP will undo the work of the NDP over the last four years?
As we indicated earlier, a tremendous amount of work has gone into shaping the rules and regulations around Bill 6, in co-ordination with the agriculture industry. Would the UCP simply throw all that away? Even these groups have stated they don’t want that work go to waste.
And what about the fact repealing Bill 6 would again put Alberta in the position of being the ONLY province that does not extend WCB coverage to waged farmworkers? That was, to put it bluntly, a rather shameful distinction to hold.
The jack is out of the box on this issue. Repealing Bill 6 would be hugely impractical and wasteful. There are far greater problems for the UCP to focus on.
The changing climate (paticularly the drought in the south), rail transportation and changing consumer demands are the main threats to the agriculture industry, not equal treatment for farmworkers or rules around training and first aid kits.
Assuming the UCP is elected this year, they should re-consider this pledge to repeal Bill 6. If not, they may face the same opposition that the NDP once dealt with prior to the passage of Bill 6, except this time by farmworkers, labour groups and others willing to stand with them.
