Bell executives need to explain why they're firing 4800 workers

CEO seems to be hiding from committee

Dear Mister Bibic,

I am writing to you today to express my extreme disappointment that you weren’t at the Heritage Committee today to explain Bell’s choice to lay off 4800 employees until May. I was happy to see you were willing to attend Industry Committee as a result of a subpoena yesterday to discuss a separate issue. Unfortunately, based on your staffs repeated requests to postpone your appearance, you seem to be hiding from our committee. Those 4800 employees, their families, and the communities they served deserve answers and we in the NDP are committed to fight for them.

You said in your correspondence with the committee that you were unable to attend any of our committee meetings until the end of May. Perhaps if any of the 4800 employees you fired still had their job, you’d have less on your plate.

And the sad reality is, no one should be shocked by your refusal to show up until then. After all, you’re used to decades of Liberals and Conservatives giving you and corporations like you free reign. Whether it’s 123 corporations avoiding $30 billion in taxes in a single year, or ignoring the negative impacts of corporate takeovers like Bells of Manitoba Telecom Service (MTS) was for communities in my province, you’ve grown accustomed to government bending to your every whim. But this committee isn’t just a personal inconvenience that can be put off again. You owe it to Canadians to explain how Bell just enacted its largest job layoff in over 30 years.

Mr. Bibic, I encourage you to move some things around. Committee is sitting the week of April 8th. Let’s figure it out.

Sincerely,
MP Niki Ashton NDP Tax Fairness Critic
Churchill—Keewatinook Aski