Stephen Harper's class war against Canadian unions came out into the open Wednesday when the PM led the Conservative majority to pass the anti-labour bill C-377.

Every one of the 147 votes for the law that singles out union finances for discriminatory treatment by the government was cast by a Conservative. Every opposition MP and five Conservative backbenchers mustered 135 votes against.

Although technically a private members bill from B.C. Tory Russ Hiebert, there was never any doubt that the legislation was a government initiative. Opposition MPs had days earlier signalled to labour organizers that the vote on 377 was being informally whipped out of the PMO and was all but assured of passage.

I'ts not easy to slow down or alter the Conservative agenda, but it seems that a common front of residents, boaters, tourist operators, towns and villages, and the union representing Parks Canada workers have succeeded in saving the season for the historic Rideau and Trent Severn canals in 2013. This fight is far from over, but if the communities and organizations that came together to defend the canals remain united and stay vigiilant, this precious part of Canadian hertiage and identity may survive the Harper era.

Here is the statement issued by the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees, a component of PSAC:

UCTE congratulates communities for keeping the canals and waterways open

As the summer of 2012 recedes into memory, extreme events leave their mark on the land, the water and on the institutions that for millions are part of a shared Canadian experience. In Eastern Ontario, the summer was an extreme weather event which saw a level 2 drought. The drought was serious business for farmers and a lot of crops just didn't make it to harvest. For cottagers, boaters and outdoor recreation users, water levels dropped by half a metre or more.

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In the heat of an Eastern Canadian summer there is a blast of fresh air for the trade union movement with the decisive win by the United Steelworkers in the six month lockout at the hands of global mining giant Rio Tinto in Alma Quebec.

At times of significant political change, it always helps to wait a while before reaching ultimate conclusions. So it is with the election of Thomas Mulcair as the new leader of the New Democratic Party.

After four ballots and more than 24 hours of voting, there was a sense that something had changed when Tom Mulcair emerged the winner. At 57 per cent his victory was hardly decisive, but it was nonetheless a clear win which allowed the convention to close ranks and for all camps to pledge unity and support for the new leader.

There will be a memorial on March 4 at Vancouver's Maritime Labour Centre for Frank Kennedy. B.C. Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair and MP Libby Davies will be among those honouring one of the great trade unionists and civic leaders that I have known.

Frank Kennedy's death leaves a hollow spot in my political soul, because we just don't seem to be making leaders of his calibre these days. Frank won't be remembered for lobbying governments or administrating the union while a battle raged outside his door. He took the labour movement head on into the fights that mattered, and he had a unique ability and passion for linking labour with community and social movements.

In Alma, Quebec, and London, Ontario, workers are standing together on picket lines against the cold and winds of January. They have strong unions and solidarity to raise their spirits -- but these workers are underdogs against massive economic power and the ruthless force of global capital. 

Conventional wisdom has it that 2011 was a turning point for democracy and progress, a year of hope and inspiration. The year in which the protester came out from behind the sign and became the person of the year who was making change.

I find myself a contrarian to this uplifting view. I have little hope arising from the progress that did not materialize. It was a year of progress unfulfilled, and frankly we are left with a world less friendly and more austere than a year ago.

After just six months of a Conservative majority, Canada's labour movement is heading for a showdown with the Harper government. If there were illusions about the ability of the trade union movement to coexist and influence the Conservative government, there are few left today. Attacking unions and reducing their political and economic role has emerged as a central element of the Conservative political strategy. The showdown is coming because social conservatives want a fight with the unions.

Stephen Harper said the Keystone XL pipeline was a no-brainer, and he arrogantly dismissed any and all criticisms of the flawed development model of a 1-million barrel per day, raw bitumen pipeline traversing the continent all the way to Port Arthur, Texas.

The no-brainer has become a migraine headache for our PM and it is now precisely his judgment and wisdom that must be evaluated after U.S. President Obama announced today that there will be no decision on XL until well into 2013.

If XL is not now dead, it is on long-term life support. Some estimates have put delays beyond the end of this year to the $7-billion project at $1 million per day. Oil industry analysts point out that XL's contracts require shipments to commence before the end of 2013.