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ON VISIT TO OAS, CANADIAN GOVERNMENT MINISTER ANNOUNCES FUNDING
FOR HEMISPHERIC LABOR INITIATIVES

Canada’s Minister of Labor, Jean-Pierre Blackburn, meeting today with Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin at the Organization of American States (OAS) headquarters in Washington, announced a $1 million funding by Canada for the Organization’s labor-related programs. The assistance to the hemispheric body is part of a larger funding package the Canadian Minister announced, including funding under the International Program for Professional Labour Administration (IPPLA) to strengthen labor administration in countries of the Americas.
The IPPLA is a two-year $8.5 million project jointly funded by the Labour Program and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to help countries to act on the commitments in trade-related labor agreements, and to deliver on obligations resulting from the Summit of the Americas and the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor. The Andean, Central American and Caribbean sub-regions will benefit from the funding announced during Minister Blackburn’s visit to the OAS.

As part of the IPPLA, the OAS Department of Social Development and Employment (DSDE) will receive funding of approximately $1 million to continue the operations of the Inter-American Network for Labor Administration (RIAL), a cooperation mechanism that seeks to strengthen the institutional and human capacities of the Ministries of Labor of the Hemisphere. The Canadian assistance will also benefit the work of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labors, a forum of the OAS.

The OAS Assistant Secretary General thanked the Minister and the government of Canada for their important contributions to labor cooperation and technical assistance in the region. Ramdin also expressed appreciation for Canada’s commitment to fostering hemispheric dialogue and cooperation in labor matters, as the countries of the Americas working actively to meet internationally recognized labor standards. The OAS is committed to help them achieve that goal through institutional capacity building, in partnership with the Canadian government, Ambassador Ramdin added.
“We see this visit of Minister Blackburn’s as part of the enhanced engagement of Canada with the OAS,” Ambassador Ramdin stated, noting as well Canada’s new foreign policy to make the Americas a new focal area. He described Blackburn’s visit as “the continuation of a relationship that is growing from strength to strength.”
Minister Blackburn reiterated that “Canada’s government is supporting democracy and economic development throughout the Americas,” adding: “This funding will enable our partner countries to strengthen and modernize their labor administration, enhance occupational health and safety standards, and facilitate a better dialogue among government, business and labor.”

Also on hand for the meeting with the Canadian Minister and his delegation were Ambassador Alfonso Quiñónez, the OAS Executive Secretary for Integral Development (SEDI), and Francisco Pilotti, Director of the OAS Department of Social Development and Employment, which acts as Technical Secretariat of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor.

Reference: E-276/07