On August 8, the NDP strongly denied responsibility for an ad offering to pay Punjabi-speaking campaign workers four dollars less per hour than their Englishspeaking co-workers.
“This is not our ad,” said NDP spokesperson Glen Sanford. “We don’t sub-contract employment services. We recruit our own staff directly.” (The Province, August 8, 2015)
On August 10, Mulcair was asked about the controversy and reiterated the denial. But now, in the same statement, he blames a subcontractor.
“Our party did not post that ad. The NDP pays all callers the same amount, which is $17 an hour. English, French, Punjabi or any other language! This apparently was a company hired by a subcontractor, which in turn pays all of its callers $13 an hour, French, English, Punjabi or any other language. That was their rate. We pay $17 an hour. That’s our rate. This company had no permission whatsoever to use the NDP’s name.” (Thomas Mulcair, August 10, 2015)
Shortly after that scrum, NDP MP Jinny Sims blamed the controversy on Stratcom, the company contracted by the NDP to do the hiring.
“As for media coverage about a job posting that appeared for a phone project in Ontario, let me clear the air. The NDP contracted with a company called Stratcom, who in turn subcontracted with a job agency to recruit two [canvassers].” (Jinny Sims, August 10, 2015)
On August 11, a NDP job posting for French speaking workers emerged, advertising a position that paid $15 an hour, despite Mulcair’s assertion just 24 hours earlier that all NDP employees are paid at least $17 an hour.
“But according to a cached page on the NDP website, the party was still advertising a job offering $15 per hour last week for French-speaking campaign workers — two dollars less than the rate being offered to English-speaking canvassers.” (Huffington Post, August 11, 2015)
Three questions Mr. Mulcair still has not answered: