Why Was N.W.T. Labour Leader Barred From Harper's Labour Announcement?

In true Harper fashion, anyone who might ruin a perfectly good photo-op was turned away by police. But the announcement was about LABOUR ... in the NORTH WEST TERRITORIES!

So why was a LABOUR LEADER for the NORTH WEST TERRITORIES turned away?

I tend to agree with Ms. Cherwaty that these initiatives were "for the benefit of business and corporations and not for the benefit of workers." Harper always has an angle.

N.W.T. labour leader barred from Harper event
August 21, 2009
CBC News

A Yellowknife-based union leader said military police barred her from attending Prime Minister Stephen Harper's announcement of new northern labour agreements Thursday afternoon.

Mary Lou Cherwaty, president of the N.W.T. Federation of Labour, said she was not invited to Harper's announcement, which he made in the N.W.T. capital about 5 p.m. MT Thursday.

Harper announced that the federal government will spend $36.5 million over two years for training programs in the three northern territories. The prime minister signed the northern market agreements, which he described as "historic," with N.W.T. Premier Floyd Roland, Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak and Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie.

Cherwaty tried to invite herself to the event, which took place at the Canadian Forces' northern headquarters in downtown Yellowknife, but said she was blocked by military police.

"I believe it's a slap in the face to workers," Cherwaty told CBC News on Friday. "Any amount of money that they'll decide to throw towards the training and [the] developments that they're talking about in the North is going to be for the benefit of business and corporations and not for the benefit of workers, obviously."

Cherwaty said it's insulting for the prime minister to announce something so important without inviting any one from the labour movement.

The N.W.T Federation of Labour is an umbrella group that represents more than 8,500 members of unions and locals across the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. It is a member of the Canadian Labour Congress.

Judging by some of the comments there many who were not impressed with the "invitation only" tour.

NorthBear: I too showed up and was turned away because I was not invited. I did not realize that I needed an invitation to hear the PM speak at a press conference. I could understand being turned away at a fundraiser, a dinner or some other formal event, but this was a televised, public event.

I just took the experience as yet another example that Harper doesn't care about "the people" but cares very much about "the business." If he wanted "regular people" there, he would have made it happen. He obviously only wanted "certain people" there.

SarahRose: Well, for such a monumental event, the Prime Minister was an hour late!

I also work for the Northern Territories Federation of Labour. Trust me, they could have let us in. I actually was in the area where they were setting the event up and they had loads of room. I tried to invite myself also, alas the elitists would not let a regular lady in to witness the said programs which are supposed to benefit us in particular. Working for the NFTL is my second job, my first job is working for the Yellowknife Association for Community Living. Representing the disabled demographic. Business leaders and lawyers and a whole bunch of Government employees were in attendance. Bull crap.

First they drive up the cost of living by paying government employees huge amounts of money, then regular people must work two, sometimes three jobs to live in this town. You wonder why they have problems with aboriginal poverty, separation of the poor and the rich,no roads, the list goes on and injured ego or not, we should have been invited.

I don't know if I would have liked to go anyways, the kind of people that were there, they made the Chief wait in line and that premier Roland (look in his eyes, he's a weasel, not a word of truth comes out of his mouth.

Now the tax payers have to pay for the investigation to see if he whispered sweet nothings or business secrets to the lady he screwed in his office!) sat next to the Prime minister. It is not just a outpost you know, but, a city thriving and doing well, due to the hardworking people who are not employed by the government, the immigrants and the youth that stay in the hopes that some day they can sway the vote. Here's to the last frontier!