Union News April 2018
I was invited to participate in a National Lobbying Day with the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) in Ottawa on February 6th, 2018. For those that don’t know me, I have been to Ottawa before for union events, however this time it was different. I was asked to attend parliament and have conversations with the leaders of our country about topics that I was familiar with, but not well-versed in. I was honoured and intimidated by the very idea of it; but I accepted the invitation.
Prior to attending this event I wasn’t familiar with what lobbying was and who could do it. What is lobbying? Lobbying is an opportunity for us to have a conversation with the leaders of our country i.e. MPs. We lobby because we want elected officials to understand and actively support our policy goals.
Lobbying is a great opportunity for politicians to get to know us – to help them understand our objectives. It helps them realize that union activists represent not just the best interest of workers, but individual citizens, taxpayers, volunteers in our communities, consumers, and voters.
We were told that we don’t need to be a professional lobbyist to convince politicians and their advisors to support our groups. We just need to be authentic. We help them become familiar our issues. We need to talk about what we know and demonstrate how we are connected to the people and communities we – and they – represent. The CLC provided excellent materials that instructed us on how to arrange a meeting, plan the meeting and what to do at the meeting with the MP’s. They really made it seem easy, enabling me to approach this with a lot more confidence than I had when initially asked to do this.
The CLC had pre-arranged meetings for me with Members of Parliament (MP) in my home ridings. I was assigned meetings with conservative MPs, Earl Dreeshen-Red Deer, and Shannon Stubbs-Lakeland. I came away from the meetings feeling that we engaged in meaningful and productive conversations.
We were asked to discuss four topics, giving examples of how they personally impacted us. We asked for changes to the laws so that pensioners are first in line, not last, when it comes to paying creditors. With the recent Sears collapse and pension debacle, I spoke quite passionately about this as this has had a huge effect in my community. We also suggested to have a mandatory pension insurance (why wouldn’t there be an insurance on one of our most precious investments like house insurance).
We talked about pay equity, asking for equal pay for work of equal value. I can’t believe that in the twenty first century this is still a conversation I need to have! The CLC suggested having pay equity legislation to correct systemic discrimination that has led to significantly lower wages in occupations that are dominated by women workers.
We also spoke about changes to Employment Insurance, to help those in precarious work situations, by reducing the hours needed to qualify for the program and implementing Pharma-care: A universal drug plan for everyone. These conversations that I was a part of not only help my union brothers and sisters but can impact every Canadian from coast to coast to coast.
At the conclusion of the day, we were invited to attend a cocktail reception in the Reading Room on Parliament Hill. This was an impressive, humbling experience for me and I seized this opportunity to meet as many members of the house as possible as well as my fellow ‘lobbyists’. Not only was I able to make political connections, but also those of members of the Canadian Labour Congress.
I think one of the most valuable things I learned from this experience is to not let my own fears hold me back. I have always felt passionately about injustices, and I was provided this occasion to use my voice to join with the voices of others to make an impact in our nation. I have to thank many of my inspirational Brothers and Sisters that encourage me to continue to seek opportunities to grow. To quote our Past National President Bob Campbell “There is nothing you do that is not important.”
Kirsten Strachey
Local 30024 - Calgary