November 2001
Editor's Notes
The horror of the September 11 attack in the US is still fresh and troubling. The shock waves continue to ripple outward, well past the borders of the United States and even North America. The most dramatic aftershock, and the one capturing much of the media attention, is the hysteria over the threat of anthrax and other agents of bioterror. More subtly, but much more likely to affect each of us, is the serious economic consequences the attacks have had. While Statistics Canada has been able to release no numbers about the job losses here in Canada since September 11, it is obvious that such losses have occured and will continue to do so. Anecdotally, those who are still travelling report nearly empty airports and tourist attractions that are operating well below capacity, both here and abroad.
In our uncertain and worrying times, the message of the focus of this issue of Fraser Forum is particularly crucial, although it may not be immediately obvious why. This month, the authors have concentrated on labour markets and the need to reform them, particularly in British Columbia. When businesses are suffering, either from a general economic downturn or from some external crisis, both of which are currently the case in North America, they need to be able to make changes, not just to their equipment, or to what they manufacture, or in what services they provide, but to their workforce. Such changes may involve reducing the number of workers they have. But the changes can also be in the nature of relocating employees or asking them to do other, different jobs. The goal of the workforce reorganization is to return companies to a position of profitability as soon as possible because, as Fred McMahon states in his article, "Wage Moderation Creates Jobs and Growth," "strong prof-its... generate work for everyone, including young people entering the labour market..."
In the articles that follow you’ll find a number of specific recommendations for policy reforms that will create more flexible labour markets, including implementing right-to-work legislation, making use of contract workers, and revoking the right to strike in areas where the government has a monopoly.
The solutions are clear and available. Read on.
—Kristin McCahon
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