Merry Christmas, Now get the hell out of here!

November has been a rather cruel month for Canadian workers, as a string of high profile plant closures and corporate restructurings has laid waste to a number of high paying Canadian jobs. While many Canadians begin to think about Christmas presents, others wonder where they’ll be working next year and how much they’ll make, if they can even find another job.

Among the noticeable cutbacks and eliminations of November were:

MTS Allstream eliminates 800 jobs nationwide, 12% of its workforce

Domtar closes sawmills and pulp mills in Eastern Canada, 1800 jobs lost

Merck pharmaceuticals cut back at its Montreal plant, sending 235 Canadians to the Unemployment lines.

Canada Post decided to cancel more than stamps this fall, as the Post Office announced it would no longer sort mail in its Quebec City plant, moving the workload to Montreal and eliminating 300 jobs in the Quebec capital.

A rail car manufacturer in Nova Scotia, Trenton Works lays off over 400 workers, production previously done in Nova Scotia now destined for the US and Mexico.

The folks at Humpty Dumpty Snack foods must see a slimmer nation ahead; they plan on closing a plant in Ontario and consolidating the eastern provinces. Not wishing to give a number yet, they instead will leave hundreds of employees on pins and needles through the holidays.

But by far the grand daddy of all downsizing so far this year, goes to last weeks announcement from financially troubled General Motors, of its plans to eliminate 3900 positions at plants across Ontario, still to drop the shoe from the various auto parts suppliers in Canada who may soon have to follow a similar plan as GM.

But hey, one mans suffering is another ones gain; GM has announced that it plans to increase its workforce in India by 30%! Need a job head for Halol.

Basically, what has been happening over the last couple of years and seems to be picking speed in rather frightening fashion, is a shift of industry not seen since the Industrial Revolution. No longer a nation of manufacturers we are becoming the land of the service providers, in most cases making much less than what we once did.

With the majority of these well paying jobs going, going and gone, Canada is in danger of eliminating its middle class, leaving the nation in a two tier system of economic happenstance. Either you’ll be part of the very rich, or you’ll be joining the ranks of the working poor and dis-enfranchised.

Something to ponder as our politicians come knocking on our doors in the next eight weeks, if our economy is so vibrant and growing as we continue to be told, then where exactly are all these jobs going.

Now repeat after me the mantra we’ve been told, the economy is strong, the economy is strong!

Strong that is, as long as its part time and minimum wage work that you’re looking for.