Labour Day 2019: Message from our Table Officers
August 28, 2019
On behalf of our Executive Board, Executive Council, and our staff at MoveUP, we want to wish you and your family a happy Labour Day.
As we prepare for the fall and the start of the school year, we hope you will take this weekend to enjoy time with your family and to partake in one of the many Labour Day events happening in our community. You can find a full list of events from labour councils across Canada on the Canadian Labour Congress website.
Labour Day is more than just a holiday. It is a day for us to honour and celebrate the achievement of workers across the country. It is a day to acknowledge those who have fought for our rights as workers so we can enjoy the benefits that we often take for granted today like five-day work weeks, eight-hour workdays, or paid sick leave.
This year’s Labour Day is particularly noteworthy because it takes place with a federal election looming. In just over a month, Canadians across the country will be going to the polls and, like workers that came before us, we need to fight for our rights again but with our votes.
The values of fairness and equity are what make us strong. These are the values that we need to guide us as we head into this fall’s election.
In the 2015 federal election, we mobilized together to send a clear message that change was needed. Stephen Harper and the Conservative policy’s disregard for workers could no longer be tolerated. Conservatives continue to use the politics of fear and division, but this election we can’t just simply oppose the things we don’t want.
We have a choice. We have a choice to elect a government that will advance the agenda of workers, that will put people at the heart of its focus, and that understands the stress that families carry.
We can’t afford to elect those who choose to divide our communities with hate, or those who put the priorities of big corporations and the wealthy ahead of working families.
As we approach this election, we must remember the priorities that matter to us and the people we care about:
- We must create good jobs and decent work for everyone.
- We must have an ambitious climate action plan to fight the effects of climate change and build good jobs for today’s workers and the next generation of workers.
- We must protect pensions that workers have earned so that workers and retirees are prioritized.
- We must bring in a single-payer, universal pharmacare program that covers everyone.
- We must build inclusive communities and have a government that will stand up against the rise of racism and intolerance.
We have a choice. Let’s unite together and vote for the priorities that matter to all of us.
In solidarity,
David Black, President
Lori Mayhew, Secretary-Treasurer
Rysa Kronebusch, Vice-President Utilities Unit
Christy Slusarenko, Vice-President Combined Units
Annette Toth, Vice-President ICBC Unit