When belonging to a leftist organization called the Toronto Labour Committee (Ontario, Canada), I worked on, in a minor position, on some statistics related to financial campaign contributions for the Toronto elections. Not being satisfied with this, I proposed that we start trying to develop a class analysis of Toronto. I indicated, though, that I did not really know how to proceed in this. I sent this over the Toronto Labour Committee listserve, and the response was–silence.
The following attempts to fill in, however inadequately, that silence, this time in relation to Calgary.
I thought it would be useful to provide a list of some of the largest employers in Canada. The reason why I think such a list would be useful is that it provides at least a somewhat concrete picture of who really has power in society and the extent of that power. Since most social-reformist leftists ignore the power of employers and assume such power as a background which they can assume as constant, they then consider their reformist policies without calling into question such power.
The following provides a list of the 20 largest employers with headquarters based in Calgary. This list is based on the number of employees. As I pointed out in another post, such lists can vary, depending on the criteria used (such as profit, the number of employees or assets).
It should be pointed out that the following does not refer to the number of employees employed in Calgary. Rather, it refers to the number of employees of the particular capitalist employer in question; it probably includes the number of employees in Calgary, in the rest of Canada and, perhaps, outside of Canada.
It is taken from Top Calgary-Based Employers Based on the Number of Employees.
Company Number of Employees
- Canada Pacific Railway Inc. 12,770
- Suncor Energy Inc. 12,080
- Enbridge Inc. 12,000
- WestJet Airlines Ltd. 11,624
- Shaw Communications Inc. 10,000
- Canadian National Resources Ltd. 9,709
- Ensign Energy Services Inc. 7,160
- TransCanada Corp. 7,081
- ATCO Ltd. 6,241
- Imperial Oil Ltd. 5,700
- Precision Drilling Corp. 5,471
- Husky Energy Inc. 5,157
- MNP LLP 4,808
- Calfrac Well Services Ltd. 3,900
- Calgary Co-Operative Association Ltd. 3,800
- Parkland Fuel Corp. 3,051
- Stuart Olson Inc. 2,924
- NOVA Chemicals Corp. 2,900
- AltaGas Ltd. 2,881
- Total Energy Services Inc. 2,314
Total Number of Employees 131,571
The social-democratic left have little to say about this situation. Probably, as long as these workers are unionized and have a collective agreement, then they have a “fair contract” and have “decent work.”
It is even difficult to say what they mean by “fair contract” and “decent work.” If the workers are not unionized but obtain a relatively higher wage or salary and benefits, is that then “decent work” and a “fair contract?”
What of the freedom of the workers? Do they really control their lives regardless of whether they are unionized or not? Twenty employers controlling over 130,000 people (with over 6500 workers per employer). Do you find that an expression of freedom? Of democracy? Or should we call it–a dictatorship?
Do those who invest in such companies in more than a small scale (such as some workers do) have to work? Or can they live off the work of such workers through appropriating the profits that these workers produce?
The Abolitionary 