The 56th Convention of the B.C. Federation of Labour was held in Vancouver from Nov.
24 - 28. It was the largest convention of the Fed ever, with over 2200 in attendance at
one point.
Convention began with a welcome from an elder of the Musqueam First Nation, greetings
from newly re-elected Mayor Gregor Robertson and a moment of silence in memory of
the 186 workers who died in B.C. last year. 6 of those workers were under the ago of 24.
116 died of occupational diseases. Remembering those workers grounded the work of
the convention in the words of Mother Jones: "Mourn the dead and fight like hell for the
living."
Jim Sinclair gave a barn burner of a speech for the last time as President of the BC Fed
and had delegates repeatedly on their feet clapping and cheering. As Jim said, "What is
good and decent in this province has been built by the sweat and blood of the working
class, but there is still work to be done." Those things include a $15/hour minimum
wage, occupational health and safety legislation with real teeth, a child care program and
anti-scab legislation.
There were many lively debates in response to reports of committees of the Fed. One of
the liveliest was on the subject of support for strategic voting - whether to support Liberal
candidates in the next federal election, in ridings in which it seems likely they might win.
The resolution in support of strategic voting did not pass. It was pointed out in the debate
that the Fed needs to take a formal position in favour of proportional representation.
The Women's Rights Committee (WRC) profiled violence against women, as well as a
report by the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) on the
depiction of women in film, which contained statistics that won't surprise anyone who
observes the film industry through a gender lens. The annual WRC evening featured
speakers from IATSE, the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and the Ending Violence
Association of B.C.
The Executive Council report covered a lot of ground, including the transition to a green
economy (Green Jobs BC), the occupation of the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station, support
for diversity, attacks on health care and education, income inequality - as diverse a list of
issues as one might expect from an organization representing half a million workers in
our province.
Hassan Yussuf, new President of the Canadian Labour Congress, gave a fiery speech
about the need to stop Stephen Harper in 2015. He declared that, if the Harper
government passes anti-union legislation, the CLC will not comply. He promised to relaunch the campaign to double the Canadian Pension Plan, an initiative that is supported
by 75% of Canadians, and to continue the fight for a national child care program.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the B.C. Union of Indian Chiefs, a former IWA member,
spoke about the need to build a broad movement for social justice, in solidarity with First
Nations. Grand Chief Phillip told us of his intention to be arrested on Burnaby Mountain
for the sake of the future of all our grandchildren. Attendees were asked to go to
Burnaby Mountain to support the line of resistance there and many did.
There were a number of resolutions for and against the Northern Gateway and other large
resource extraction projects. As the Climate Change Working Group had determined that
consensus would not be possible, the Resolutions Committee developed a compromise
resolution that included consultation with First Nations, rigorous environmental processes
and high safety standards while continuing to support the Green Jobs initiative and a just
transition away from carbon-based, non-renewable energy.
There is a tremendous amount of education and sharing of information that goes on at a
Fed convention. Did you know that 50% of workplace accidents occur within the first
three months that someone in on the job? Did you know that, thanks to Stephen Harper,
there is no Coast Guard in Vancouver Harbour, the second busiest harbour in Canada?
We heard from Dr. Danielle Martin, VP of Women's Hospital, who some of you may
have seen in a video clip where she demolished the silly myths about Canadian health
care held by some members of the U.S. Congress. She spoke about the Supreme Court
challenge to universal health care, started by Dr. Brian Day. You can help push back and
protect universal health care by going to the website of the BC Health Coalition, where
you can send an e-mail to Christy Clark.
Dr. Martin also talked about the need for a national program to assist with the cost of
prescriptions. 17% of B.C. residents don't take their medications as prescribed because
they can't afford them. That's the highest rate in Canada.
The election for President, to replace Jim Sinclair, dominated much of the week, with
active campaigning throughout. The candidates were Irene Lanzinger, SecretaryTreasurer of the Fed who has worked closely with Jim for the past four years, and Amber
Hockin, Pacific Region Director of the Canadian Labour Congress.
Irene's clear intention was to continue in the same vein as Jim, among other things
providing support to both unionized and non-union, vulnerable workers as well as
continuing the work of Green Jobs B.C. to respond to climate change, continuing to
support union organizing and the need to win the narrative on public services and fair
taxation. She clearly articulated both her experience and her platform.
Amber's platform was somewhat more vague, with references to getting things done, an
ability to help unions reach consensus, building coalitions and a goal of organizing
workers into unions. She emphasized her goal of working more closely with the NDP.
The election was conducted in an atmosphere of respect. As Jim said, "There is no
division; democracy is happening." Irene won, 1137 to 1080, to become the first woman
elected as President of the BC Federation of Labour.
Overall, there is so much caring and simple human decency in the room when the labour
movement gets together. As Jim Sinclair says, "The most precious thing we have as
human beings is our solidarity with each other."