In Transit - 3rd Quarter 2020

Page 16

CANADIAN AGENDA

Why the U.S. election matters to Canada As neighbors, Canada and the United States are among the two most intertwined countries in the world. The Canadian Labour Movement and the U.S. Labor movement often face the same challenges and work closely to fight for the rights and dignity of working people and their families. With the presence of U.S. manufacturing plants in Canada and Canadian exports of unprocessed natural resources to the U.S. market, there are no two countries in the world whose economies are more integrated than Canada and the United States.

High stakes This makes the U.S. presidential election high stakes for Canadians. On November 3, Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be on the ticket versus former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris. The ATU was among the first unions to endorse Joe Biden for President early in the primaries. The outcome of this election will mean a lot for Canada. What are the prospects for four more years of Donald

Trump and the Republican grip on the White House? What are the implications for Canadians and union members across Canada?

Electoral prospects During the Democratic presidential primary race, a number of progressives such as Senator Bernie Sanders pushed for policies such as universal healthcare and a Green New Deal. While Joe Biden won the nomination, his campaign has moved to embrace the progressive wing, which is critical to building the kind of coalition that can defeat Donald Trump. Traditionally the ground game wins tight elections, but with the pandemic this election will be fought online and on the airwaves. However, everyone will be watching those battleground states that Trump narrowly won: Florida, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. That is why ATU is launching an aggressive campaign to get our members in these key states and others to vote for the Biden-Harris ticket.

Complete failure The complete failure of the Trump Administration is staggering. Over 200,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, including more than 85 ATU sisters and brothers. Trump has declared war on working people by nominating Supreme Court justices that sided with the majority in the anti-union Janus decision. This decision was an attack on union dues and the financial security of unions.

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July - August - September 2020 | IN TRANSIT


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