Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Greg Kyllo, MLA for Shuswap

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Scrapping the secret ballot is bad for B.C.

Apr 21, 2022 | 2:37 PM

THE SECRET BALLOT IS A FUNDAMENTAL TENET of our democracy — a tool that enables us to make our choices as citizens free from scrutiny, pressure, or harassment. Whether it is voting for our elected officials or voting for things like unionization, the secret ballot helps keep our voting process democratic. Because of the importance of the secret ballot, millions of British Columbians are questioning why the NDP government has tabled legislation that will eliminate it.

For 30 of the past 38 years, B.C. workers have relied on the secret ballot in unionization votes, but Bill 10, the Labour Relations Code Amendment Act, 2022, will strip away the secret ballot system and transition to a one-step “card check” system. A recent poll showed 79% of British Columbians oppose doing away with the secret ballot and only 9% support card checks.

Not only does this decision completely ignore popular opinion and go against the wishes of the vast majority of British Columbians, it goes against the government’s own 2018 Labour Relations Code Review Panel Report which recommended keeping the secret ballot.

So why on earth would Premier John Horgan want to scrap the secret ballot in the first place? Over the years, he has made it no secret that he planned to do this at the next available opportunity. Many of the major unions who have been his strong political and financial supporters have seen their membership slowly wane over the last 20 years. Because these select unions have been pressuring government to bring in a way to recruit members more “efficiently,” Bill 10 will ensure union organizers will be unrestricted as to where, when, and how often they can approach workers and pressure them to support unionization.

Bill 10 will also allow ‘union raiding’ in the construction industry every summer, meaning unions can entice workers to switch unions in the middle of the busiest part of the construction season. While government claims that this is simply to appease workers who may be unhappy with their current union, this will undoubtedly serve as another tool for this government and their labour insiders to pressure more workers and create chaos and uncertainty on job sites.

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While B.C. is in the middle of an ongoing housing and affordability crisis, the changes could also drive costs up and further delay vital commercial, residential and infrastructure projects. While 70 per cent of British Columbians choose not to be in a union, we support their right to make that decision free from pressure or influence by workers, employers, or union organizers.

John Horgan and the NDP should scrap Bill 10 so we can continue to protect the privacy and security of B.C. workers.