I’m very excited to be here today to present the first Canadian National Unemployment clock soon-to-be unveiled on the billboard behind me.  The Unemployment Clock has traveled a long way since we first introduced it May 6 in Ottawa.  People across the country have had the opportunity to have their voices heard about the negative effects of offshoring, and add their support.  This clock represents over 1.6 million people and reminds us every day that this campaign is about real people.  Canadians like you and me.  Every number on that clock represents people who are struggling in this economy; those who have lost their jobs and for every number on the clock, there are more who worry about joining them; those workers who face daily challenges like keeping a roof over their family’s heads and food on their table.

The Telecommunications Workers Union represents over 14 thousand TELUS employees-many of whom are being directly affected by offshoring.  But, as we’ve repeated throughout this campaign, offshoring is not a problem that solely affects telecommunications workers.  Workers from hundreds of industries such as forestry, oil, manufacturing, retail, insurance --- go down the list --- are suffering.  Large corporations are offshoring thousands of profitable Canadian jobs to improve their short-term bottom line--and they do this at the detriment of the communities where they generate those profits.  In the process, their myopic vision is destroying the lives of tens of thousands of hard-working Canadians.  Our communities are suffering.

There’s a multiplier effect that happens when middle-class families can’t find work.  Quite simply, there are a lot less people who can afford to buy products and services.  When does enough become enough?  How much profit do they need to make and at what cost to Canadians?

Unemployment in Canada is currently at 8.4%, an 11-year high.  We have all been touched by it.  I hear from affected TWU members every day.  Make no mistake real Canadians are losing their jobs to offshore workers.  Corporations like TELUS will try to hide and minimize the facts but the truth is out there for all to see in our communities.

We’ve reached out to Canadians in big cities and small towns and workers have shared some of their stories on this tour.  Like the new father of a baby daughter who told us about 800 jobs, including his, that were being offshored to the Philippines and India.

TELUS is doing the same thing, shipping 1000 high tech jobs to India this year.

On the West Coast of Vancouver Island we met millworkers that have been laid off due to work shortages – yet recently they’ve seen numerous massive containerships leave their local port full of raw logs.  Each ship holds enough raw lumber on it to keep a single mill open.

Everywhere we go, the message they want to send to government and these organizations is the same:  NO MORE.

We need to focus on finding solutions to get more Canadians back to work.  One of the easiest ways to do that is to stop offshoring profitable jobs from Canada.  Consumers need to demand that companies generating profits from them contribute meaningful jobs back to their communities.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for being here today,  our invited guests, Angela Schira, Secretary Treasurer for the BC Labour of Federation and Mike Fenton, Secretary, Western Pulp Caucus, as well as everyone who worked to make this campaign a success.  I am very proud of the work we have done to bring awareness to Canadians about the problem of offshoring and wish to thank everyone who signed the petition and took the time to share their stores with us.

We look forward to continuing our campaign through exposure of the National Unemployment Clock and our website, www.keepjobsincanada.ca, and I encourage all of you who haven’t already signed the petition to do so online.

I’d like to dedicate the National Unemployment Clock and the symbolism it represents to all the Canadian families and communities affected by offshoring.  By working together we can help to preserve Canadian jobs.