UPDATED June 24,
2007
Report on the
Federation’s 42nd Annual Convention
❏On Friday and Saturday, November 3 and 4, The Prince
Edward Island Federation of Labour (PEIFL) held its
42nd annual convention at Howard Johnson “Dutch
Inn” in Cornwall. This year’s convention
attracted approximately 90 delegates. The theme of
this year’s convention was “Fighting
Privatization and Contracting Out”.
-Speakers on Friday included:
- Federation
President Carl Pursey who gave the President’s Report during
which he outlined Federation activities since last year’s
convention.
- Vaughan
Davies (PSAC PEI Area Council President) spoke on the rally held
earlier in the day in support of PSAC Local 90140 (Commissionaires) and
the struggles they have faced during their battle with their employer
to become union members and now that they are trying to negotiate their
first contract and bring better working conditions to their workplaces.
- Island
NDP Leader, Dean Constable who spoke on his experiences since becoming
party leader, the need for an increased minimum wage, what the federal
party is doing on behalf of workers, the provincial
government’s spending public funds on casinos, golf courses,
and standardized testing when our healthcare and educational systems
are in dire need of money, and the party’s preparedness for
the upcoming provincial election.
- Leo
Cheverie(CUPE Local 1870 President) who gave some background on the
need for all Islanders to earn a liveable income and the situation
facing many low income families on PEI.
- And
Eileen Leclair( UPSE Second Vice President) who gave a very emotional
presentation on the Silent Witness Project. A project whose goals are
to remember women killed in acts of domestic violence, create awareness
of family violence issues and to promote action. As part of the
presentation, Sister Leclair introduced Shelly Molyneaux who gave a
very powerful speech on her real life experience of growing up in a
household full of domestic violence. Ms. Molyneaux is the daughter of
Shirley Ann Duguay who was murdered by her common law husband in 1994.
The presentation was completed with the song “Standing in the
Rain”
-Speakers
on Saturday included:
- Patty
Ducharme, PSAC National Vice President who spoke on this
year’s theme. In her Speech Sister Ducharme spoke not only on
the fight against privatization in all its forms but also on some of
the scary policies starting to emerge from the Harper Government and
how much more dangerous they would be if Stephen Harper was to ever
gain a majority position in Parliament.
- The
Minister Responsible for Labour, Elmer MacFadyen who spoke on the
recent annual meeting of the Ministers and Deputy Ministers Responsible
for Labour in the Atlantic region which was held in PEI, the increase
in the minimum wage, National Skilled Trades Day on PEI, and the
Province’s response to the recent Literacy funding cuts. He
also thanked the Federation for our participation in the recent
Employment Standards Act review, for our work on the Day of Mourning
Monument, and for the Federation’s annual book donation to
the UPEI and Provincial libraries. After his speech, the Minister
answered several questions from convention delegates.
- CLC
Secretary-Treasurer Hassan Yussuff who spoke on the 50th anniversary of
the CLC; pension plan legislation; seniors living in poverty; EI
Reform; Pay Equity; the work that has been done to get
Anti-Scab Legislation through Parliament; the need to get Bill C55,
Bankruptcy Act proclaimed, to create a real Childcare system and to
protect our environment; Harper’s recent cuts to Literacy,
the Court Challenges, and Youth Employment programs; the CLC Aids
Conference; and the importance of municipal government.
- Scott
Sinclair, a Researcher Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives who
spoke on the research he has done on Atlantica. Atlantica is a plan
being promoted by business interests to economically, socially and
politically integrate Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec with Maine,
New Hampshire, Vermont and upstate New York to form a single coherent
trade zone. He also spoke on the fact that Atlantica is a badly flawed
concept that will bring down wages, lower standards, attack public
services and programs and is a very poor idea for a future vision of
Atlantic Canada.
- United
Way Executive Director Clair Smith and Laurie Bowers who is one of the
labour representatives on the United Way Board gave a presentation on
the programs and services that the United Way provides.
-At
this year’s Convention, The delegates debated and voted to
accept 18 resolutions on a wide range of topics including:
Atlantica, Public Healthcare, Privatization and Contracting
Out, Growthworks, Pharmacare, Post Secondary Education, Federal
Tories’ Tax Cuts, Livable Wages, the PEI Labour
Management Relations Council, the Student Attendant Pilot
Project, UPS/NAFTA, Wal-Mart, Universal Public Post Office,
Raising Convention Fees, the need to restore funding to Island
Homeless shelters, the need for greater transparency and
accountability in federal government decision making and
Public Private Partnerships.
-The results of this year’s election at convention were:
• Brother Carl Pursey (CUPW) was
re- elected by acclamation as President.
• Sister Bev MacLean (PSAC) was
elected by acclamation as Secretary.
• And Sister Linda Dockendorff
(UPSE) was re-elected as VP (Woman). All three were elected for a 2
Year Term.
-Finally at this year’s convention the Federation’s
9 largest unions were asked to name their representatives to
sit on our Executive Council. Named were: Sister Shelley
Ward (UPSE) who was to replace Brother Sandy MacKay after she
took over as UPSE’s new President, Brother Paul
Chiasson (Carpenters), Sister Donalda MacDonald (CUPE), Brother Vaughan
Davies (PSAC), Brother Joe MacKenzie (IAM), Sister
Sandra MacKenzie (UFCW), Sister Lisa Shephard (CUPW), Brother
Reg Doyle (CEP), IBEW’s seat and the seat
for affiliated unions other than the nine largest went unfilled.
-Our 4 largest unions also named: Sister Debbie
Bovyer (UPSE), Brother Ghassan
Kassouf (PSAC), Sister Donna
Gormley (CUPE) and Brother Myron
Larkin (UFCW) to be the Federation’s Trustees.
-The Federation would like to thank departing Council members Brothers
Reg Arsenault (CUPW), Leo Cheverie (CUPE), Peter MacIntyre
(UFCW), and SandyMacKay (UPSE), and Sister Donna
Murphy-MacInnis (PSAC) for all their efforts on behalf of
the Federation during their time on Council.
-We would also like to thank departing Trustee members Sisters Kim
Coles (PSAC) and Patricia Strickland (CUPE) for all their
efforts on behalf of the Federation during their time as
Trustees and welcome all our new Council members and Trustees
to their new positions.
President's
Report
PSAC National Vice President, Patty
Ducharme's Speech at the 2006 Convention
Photos from the 2006 Convention
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