Senator Hassan Yussuff on 'The other P3s: pandemic, privatization, precarity … and planet!!'

The second episode of this season, features a recording of the keynote address delivered by past president of the Canadian Labour Congress, Senator Hassan Yussuff at George Brown College’s 31st annual Labour Fair.

Anchoring a week of labour focused discussions and speaking to George Brown College students and faculty, the Senator focuses on this year’s theme, 'The other P3s: pandemic, privatization, precarity,,, and planet!!'

Reflecting on federal workers delivery of CERB during the pandemic, the Senator says: 

“Those workers, six weeks it took them to create that program, to build it from scratch and to make sure it was working so we can get people money ... That's never happened in the history of this country ... Everybody always says, 'The public service cannot perform to the speed of the private sector.' Well, guess what? In the pandemic, it was the public service that was there looking after Canadians and meeting the needs of Canadians.. we need to recognize that because these are working men and women in our country that we need to celebrate.”

In terms of workers’ rights during and after the pandemic, the Senators asks: 

“How is it that we asked workers to go to work day in and day out and that workers don't have access to paid sick days in this country? ... Many of the workers who are working in grocery stores and other places are in precarious jobs ... It speaks to the need for reform to our employment standards. How we can get those workers to be treated in a fair way and of course to have fundamental rights when they go to work. Because the dignity of work is fundamental to the kind of economy we want to build in this country." 

The Senator remarks on one of the hypocrisies of the gig economy:

“Why does the corner-store person who operates a business and employs people have to contribute to EI and CPP for their employees, but yet a corporation as large as Uber, as an example, doesn't have to contribute because they say 'The people who work for us are not our employees.' How is that right? And how is it fair? How could you tell the corner-store that they have to comply with employment standards, but yet none of that applies to a large corporation such as Uber? I think it speaks volumes to the challenges we face.”

Speaking on the possibility for change, the Senator says:

“I learned a long time ago that without tension, there is no change.If you want the status quo to remain, do nothing. If you want it to change, you'll create some tensions. And it's necessary, by the way. That's how we achieve change. And the systems that are wrong and are unfair to working people in this country can be changed.” 

The video recording of the Senator’s address is also featured on rabbleTV. 

 

About the speaker: 

Hassan Yussuff was appointed to the Senate of Canada to represent Ontario in June 2021 and sits as a member of the Independent Senators Group.

Senator Yussuff is one of Canada’s most experienced labour leaders. An immigrant from Guyana, he has had a long and accomplished career as a union activist, recently serving two terms as the president of the Canadian Labour Congress from 2014-2021; the first person of colour to lead Canada’s labour movement. In addition to his work in Canada, Yussuff is a prominent international activist. In 2016, he was elected for his second term as president of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas, an organization uniting 48 national organizations and representing more than 55 million workers in 21 countries. Yussuff has also served on numerous task forces and organizations, including the Government of Canada’s NAFTA Council and its Sustainable Development Advisory Council, and co-chair of the Task Force on Just Transition for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities.

Senator Yussuff is a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce, the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence, and the Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs. 

Introduction to Senator by George Brown College president, Gervan Fearon. 

Session Moderator, Susan Heximer. 

Student Vote of Thanks: Danesh Hanbury. 

Transcript of this episode can be accessed at georgebrown.ca/TommyDouglasInstitute or here. 

Image: Senator Hassan Yussuff / Used with permission.

Music: Ang Kahora. Lynne, Bjorn. Rights Purchased. 

Intro Voices: Ashley Booth (Podcast Announcer); Bob Luker (Tommy); Injila Rajab Khan and Danesh Hanbury (Street Voices)  

Courage My Friends Podcast Organizing Committee: Chandra Budhu, Ashley Booth, Resh Budhu. 

Produced by: Resh Budhu, Tommy Douglas Institute and Breanne Doyle, rabble.ca. 

Host: Resh Budhu.