OTTAWA, Nov. 23, 2012 /CNW/ - Premiers must seize the opportunity to discuss ways to create jobs and improve the Canadian economy today at the Council of the Federation meeting in Halifax, say labour leaders whose members have been hard-hit in the manufacturing sector.

"Workers are reminding premiers and absentee Prime Minister Stephen Harper that we need real action to get the economy back on track," says CEP National President Dave Coles. "How telling that our Prime Minister is missing this important meeting in a region where the forestry sector has been decimated and thousands have lost their jobs."

"There is still no light at the end of the tunnel for working people who have been living with growing inequality since the 2008 recession," said CAW National President Ken Lewenza. "Tens of thousands of Canadians are among the long-term unemployed or can find only precarious employment. There are countless ways to prioritize job creation and our governments are failing to follow through."

Yesterday, CEP as part of the Blue Green Alliance Canada released a report titled More Bang for our Buck, which describes the job creation potential of investing the $1.3 billion in federal subsidies, now given to the oil and gas sector, in renewable energy, energy efficiency and public transit. The results show that six to eight times more jobs could be created: 18,000-20,000 jobs in clean energy sectors vs. 2,300 jobs in oil and gas.

"Developing Canada's clean energy sector is just one of the ways we propose that governments put more people to work in a meaningful way," adds Coles. "We are watching this meeting closely, and looking to our premiers to find ways to improve the outlook for working Canadians everywhere in the country."

The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada and the Canadian Auto Workers union will hold a founding convention next September to form a new union that will represent more than 300,000 workers in every province of the country, in 22 different economic sectors.

SOURCE COMMUNICATIONS, ENERGY AND PAPERWORKERS UNION OF CANADA