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More than 70 union activists from across Alberta spent three days in Calgary last week, training to knock on doors, engage in campaign conversations with coworkers, and build grassroots activism.
The Labour Votes coalition training, held April 7–9 at the Sheraton Eau Claire Hotel, brought together members from Unifor, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), and the United Steelworkers (USW) for an intensive program covering the political issues facing Alberta workers and the practical skills needed to do something about them.
“The task ahead in Alberta is going to require broad solidarity among workers, both across sectors and in every region in the province,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
The training opened with sessions to review the United Conservative Party governments attacks on immigrant rights, the undermining of the Canada Pension Plan, and its aggressive privatization of public health care. Alberta NDP Leader and Official Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi also spoke to participants about the political stakes and the many issues that unite working people against Premier Danielle Smith.
On the second day, Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle, CUPE Alberta President Raj Uppal, and USW Western Canada Director Scott Lunny spoke about the challenges and opportunities facing workers across the province.
"The UCP government has spent years stripping working people in this province of basic rights—the right to strike, the right to refuse unsafe work, the right to fair overtime pay," said Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle. "Alberta workers are up against a government that sees our rights as obstacles. That's why training like this matters."
Participants dug into polling data, discussed what's working in other campaigns, and learned tactics associated with member-to-member outreach. Other sessions included volunteer recruitment, get-out-the-vote operations, and how to build a volunteer team that can sustain itself through a long campaign.
From the classroom to the doorstep
On Wednesday and Thursday evenings, participants could choose to volunteer in two Calgary ridings—Calgary North and Calgary Cross—to put their new skills to work in real voter outreach.
For many, it was their first time canvassing. The experience of actually having conversations with voters was one of the most talked-about takeaways from the week.
With a provincial separatist plebiscite set for October and a provincial election on the horizon, Alberta's workers are facing multiple high-stakes campaigns.
"What I saw this week was 70 workers from different unions and different industries deciding that they're not going to sit this one out," said McGarrigle. "They're going back to their workplaces ready to have real conversations to build a progressive movement."
The three-day program was a joint effort, reflecting a growing recognition across Alberta's labour movement that the fights ahead—on separation, on public services, on workers' rights—require workers who are ready to show up and get involved.
