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The Prairie Regional Council met with a full agenda in Edmonton, April 27-29, taking place a little over a week before the Alberta provincial election, the mood was exciting and full of possibility.
The meeting brought together 150 local union leaders, activists and staff from across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and featured discussions and presentations on upgrading in the resource sector, building a more inclusive labour movement, the necessity of getting politically active, how to campaign on common values, recognizing and strengthening the rights of workers with disabilities, working to improve health and safety and more. Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley kicked off the Council with a commitment to creating supporting and expanding the creation of energy jobs in the province.
Other guest speakers included researcher and policy analyst Diana Gibson, political strategist Kathleen Monk, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba Federation of Labour Presidents Larry Hubich, Gil McGowan, and Kevin Rebeck, National President Jerry Dias, National Secretary-Treasurer Peter Kennedy, Western Regional Director Joie Warnock, Membership Mobilization and Political Action Department’s Patty Barrera, Organizing Director John Aman, Health, Safety and Environment Director Sari Sairanen, First Nations Elder Francis Alexis, Canadian Labour Congress representative Cori Longo, Manitoba NDP MLA Kevin Chief, United Way’s Perri Garvin and Edmonton and District Labour Council President Bruce Faford.
The Prairie Regional Council was chaired by Council Chair and National Executive Board member Christy Best, Unifor Local 649 President.
Combined, the speakers presented a complex and full picture of the challenges and opportunities facing the prairie region and the country as a whole.
Western Regional Director Joie Warnock urged delegates to get involved – in the May 5 Alberta provincial election and the upcoming federal election.
“So many people in this province look at Ottawa and they see a stale, mean-spirited government that is out of touch with their needs,” Western Regional Director Joie Warnock, in her address to the delegates.
“Our job in the federal election isn’t to tell people with some conservative sympathies they’re wrong.
Our job is to demonstrate that there is a better way. That Stephen Harper is the wrong Prime Minister for a caring Canada where good jobs are a priority.
I’m confident that we can do big things this year. I know this in part because the work we’ve done over the last 6 months shows that we are a union that gets things done.”
Delegate after delegate spoke at the mic about issues in their workplaces, bargaining struggles and successes and why they are getting more involved in the union and upcoming elections.
The two and a half days were action packed, with an energetic rally on April 27 at the Edmonton International Airport to demonstrate against Air Canada’s plan to outsource work, led by Unifor Local 2002 representing Air Canada workers and a memorial for the Day of Mourning on April 28 at Grant Notley Park, hosted by the Edmonton and District Labour Council. Joie Warnock spoke at the memorial on behalf of Unifor.
The Council also included the election of three new executive members:
Paul Allaman, Local 3003 - Workers with disAbilities Standing Committee
D-Jay Krozser, Local 609 - Political Action Committee
Bryan Glazer, Local 892 - Member at Large
Stay tuned for the Prairie Council video later this week!
