It is interesting to watch the reaction in Prince Edward Island to the decision to include farms under the Workers Compensation Act by Jan. 1, 2017.
There hasn’t been any.
So far, at least.
The announcement was just made Feb. 19, but as of the time of writing Feb. 22, there has been no outburst of ire from farmers as we saw in Alberta over Bill 6, known as the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act.
Granted, the changes under the Alberta NDP government go deeper, removing many exemptions for labour, workers compensation and safety regulations.
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Premier Rachel Notely was elected in October 2015, and before the year was out the legislature passed a law with no regulations enacting it, which left many farmers wondering about its effect on their life’s business.
That haste — while admirable if you believe this law was due — generated such an unmitigated blowback by farmers (fanned by the opposition Wildrose party), that it created what Alberta Dairy blogger David Climenhaga called “Fuddites” — those who fanned the flames of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.
In P.E.I., as far as I can see, there was no race to the microphone by the opposition parties after the WCB announcement.
What was the difference? The process was more traditional.
A legislative review in 2012 recommended farms be covered by the WCB. In 2014, the board, which is headed by longtime farmer Stuart Affleck, set up a committee to consult with islanders about how to bring farms under the act. Those consultations took a year and a half. Then, last February, Liberal premier Wade MacLaughlan succeeded Robert Ghiz. And now, a year later, plans are announced to bring farms under the WCB.
This is the classic approach: float a trial balloon by a committee, let the idea stew in the public for a while, and given no FUD, start a process that again tests the public reaction through consultation. Then, finally, announce that it’s going to happen.
Notely’s earnest approach got the law passed, but now consultations will take place amid an environment that things are a fait accompli, which is unlikely to bring farmer buy-in, much less grudging acceptance.
