As the divide between middle and upper class begins to widen within Canada, the effect can be seen on the diminishing number of unionised workers. The unionised works who were ensured a sufficient wage, working conditions and a guaranteed pension. As Canada tries to remain competitive and retain it’s ranking of 14th in the World Economic Forum competitiveness index, it adopts cost cutting measures such as cutting jobs, improving efficiency and adopting lean methods. The result of this is a significant decrease in the number of unionised jobs at companies such as CP, Ford Motor Co., McMaster University, Canadian Auto Workers etc.
It can be questioned whether improved efficiency is a bad thing. Some consider these cost cutting methods a way for Canada to catch up with the rest of the world. The effect of unionised workers hasn’t resulted in higher productivity per person in comparison with other countries. Therefore, the implementation of lean companies may motivate companies to keep production within Canada as opposed to outsourcing to non-unionised countries. This change makes the pathway to unionised position more difficult and increased the number of unemployed people within Canada exceeding. This article shows the effects of the race for efficiency in the competitive global market.