Unifor’s Human Rights Conference brought members to the union’s Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, Ont. for a weekend where delegates and presenters shared stories, built relationships and planned their activism.
Watch some of the highlights from the National Indigenous Peoples' Day celebrations on the unceded traditional territory of the Liǧʷiłdax̌ʷ peoples: the We Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum, and Kwiakah First Nations (Campbell River).
Indigenous youth breaking down barriers to new levels of success
June marks National Indigenous History Month, a time to honour the histories, cultures, and enduring resilience of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples across these lands.
On May 5, Unifor members across the country mark Red Dress Day to honour the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2-Spirit people (MMIWG2S) whose lives have been taken or disrupted by violence, and to stand with the families still searching for answers.
Members gathered at the Unifor office in Halifax on March 20 to recognize the upcoming International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and take part in the Unifor Atlantic Black, Indigenous, and Workers of Colour (BIWOC) Committee workshop, Silence Hate.
Members heard from retired Halifax Regional Police Detective Constable Craig Upshaw, the first full-time Hate Crime Investigator in Atlantic Canada and a former Diversity Officer. Upshaw provides education and training in hate, equity, diversity and inclusion.
Unifor members from across the country gathered in person at the National Office in Toronto and online to celebrate the union’s third annual Black History Month event, highlighting the contributions, leadership and resilience of Black members and communities.
The celebration brought together union leaders, activists, and community advocates to reflect on the ongoing fight against racism and the importance of collective action in building a more just and inclusive labour movement.
It was a weekend to share, to heal, to celebrate, and to resist.
More than 200 delegates met for Unifor’s annual Black, Indigenous and Workers of Colour Conference in Port Elgin, Ont. from Sept. 26 to 28. The conference focused on the theme of “Rooted in resistance: healing, justice and solidarity.”
“Solidarity is incomplete if it does not reflect the realities and experiences in racialized workers – workers who have too often carried a dual burden of economic inequalities and discrimination,” said Unifor Director of Equity and Racial Justice Tricia Wilson.
September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, an observance that honours the survivors of residential schools and remembers those who did not return home. Known as Orange Shirt Day, this day draws its name from the story of Phyllis (Jack) Webstad, whose orange shirt—a gift from her grandmother—was confiscated on her first day at a residential school in 1973.
