Study
| EST. READ TIME 1 MIN.Union Disclosure in Canada and the United States
Union transparency is important for two reasons. First, transparency enables workers to make more informed decisions about their preference for collective representation. Second, transparency leads to and is essential for accountability. Disclosing financial information publicly allows workers and interested parties alike to determine the appropriateness, effectiveness, and efficacy of union spending.In 2005, labour relations laws regulated 32.0 percent of workforce in Canada and 13.7 percent of workers in the United States. Numerous studies have examined aspects of labour relations laws, such as certification, decertification, and union security laws, and their effects on the labour market. However, very few have focused on union disclosure requirements.
Disclosure laws regulate the quality and quantity of financial information that affected organizations must make public. Public disclosure of this information allows interested parties to guage the financial health and performance of organizations. In addition, the accordant transparency that comes from disclosure serves to improve the governance of organizations.
Union transparency is important for two reasons. First, transparency enables workers to make more informed decisions about their preference for collective representation. Second, transparency leads to and is essential for accountability. Disclosing financial information publicly allows workers and interested parties alike to determine the appropriateness, effectiveness, and efficacy of union spending.
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Milagros Palacios
Director, Addington Centre for Measurement, Fraser InstituteMilagros Palacios is the Director for the Addington Centre for Measurement at the Fraser Institute. She holds a B.S. in IndustrialEngineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and a M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Concepcion, Chile. Ms. Palacios has studied public policy involving taxation, government finances, investment, productivity, labour markets, and charitable giving, for nearly 10 years. Since joining the Institute, Ms. Palacios has authored or coauthored over 70 comprehensive research studies, 70 commentaries and four books. Her recent commentaries have appeared in major Canadian newspapers such as the National Post, Toronto Sun, Windsor Star, and Vancouver Sun.… Read more Read Less… -
Jason Clemens
Executive Vice President, Fraser Institute
Jason Clemens is the Executive Vice President of the Fraser Institute and the President of the Fraser Institute Foundation. Hehas an Honors Bachelors Degree of Commerce and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Windsor as well as a Post Baccalaureate Degree in Economics from Simon Fraser University. Before rejoining the Fraser Institute in 2012, he was the director of research and managing editor at the Ottawa-based Macdonald-Laurier Institute and prior to joining the MLI, Mr. Clemens spent a little over three years in the United States with the San Francisco-based Pacific Research Institute. He has published over 70 major studies on a wide range of topics, including taxation, government spending, labor market regulation, banking, welfare reform, health care, productivity, and entrepreneurship. He has published over 300 shorter articles, which have appeared in such newspapers as The Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, Washington Post, Globe and Mail, National Post, and a host of U.S., Canadian, and international newspapers. Mr. Clemens has been a guest on numerous radio and television programs across Canada and the United States. He has appeared before committees of both the House of Commons and the Senate in Canada as an expert witness and briefed state legislators in California. In 2006, he received the coveted Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 award presented by Caldwell Partners as well as an Odyssey Award from the University of Windsor. In 2011, he was awarded (along with his co-authors) the prestigious Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for the best-selling book The Canadian Century. In 2012, the Governor General of Canada on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, presented Mr. Clemens with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to the country.… Read more Read Less… -
Keith Godin
Keith Godin is a former Fraser Institute Senior Policy Analyst who published many studies on a range of policy issuesincluding entrepreneurship, labour regulation, labour market performance, taxation, and investment. His publications include: Crowding Out Private Equity: Canadian Evidence (2007), The Economic Costs of Capital Gains Taxes (2007), Measuring Labour Markets in Canada and the United States (2007), and Canadian Provincial Investment Climate Report: 2007 Edition (2007). He has also written shorter studies on fiscal policy and government failure as well as commentaries in newspapers across the country. Mr. Godin holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Simon Fraser University. His thesis focused on entrepreneurship and venture capital.… Read more Read Less… -
Niels Veldhuis
President, Fraser InstituteNiels Veldhuis serves as President of the Fraser Institute, Canada’s most influential think tank.In his over 20-plus-year career in publicpolicy, Niels has authored six books and more than 50 peer-reviewed studies on a wide range of economic topics. In 2011, he was awarded (along with his co-authors) the prestigious Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for the best-selling book, The Canadian Century.Highly regarded for his opinions and perspectives on major economic and social issues, Niels appears regularly in the media across Canada and the United States. He has written hundreds of commentaries that have appeared in over 50 newspapers, including the Globe and Mail, Wall Street Journal, National Post, and The Economist.Known for his ability to explain matters of economics and government policy in a down-to-earth and easily understood manner, Niels travels widely across North America. His speaking engagements extend to diverse audiences, including business groups, corporate gatherings, community organizations, and students.Niels has had the privilege of sharing the stage and moderating discussions with prominent business and political leaders from around the world. Notable individuals include Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and BC Premier Gordon Campbell. He has also moderated discussions with distinguished Canadian journalists such as Chantal Herbert, Andrew Coyne, and Rex Murphy, as well as diplomats such as Canada’s Ambassador to China and Israel’s Ambassador to Canada. Niels moderated a discussion between United States Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in 2011 and has facilitated conversations with impactful authors like Mosab Hassan Yousef (author of "Son of Hamas") and Lord Conrad Black.Niels Veldhuis is an alumnus of Simon Fraser University, was one of Vancouver’s Top 40 under 40 by Business in Vancouver in 2010, and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).… Read more Read Less…
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