| 5th National Convention Toronto Sept - 29 - Oct 3, 2002 Last week we attended the National Convention in Toronto. There were just over 1100 delegates representing 174,810 people. Approx. 260 locals did not attend. We had 2 delegates for this convention. Dan Hennaert attended the entire conference and Steve Rumbold and I split the time for our second delegate (Steve attending Saturday and Sunday while I was there Sunday night through the end of the convention Thursday afternoon. On Monday the delegates discussed and voted on Constitutional and General resolutions...amongst the Constitutional resolutions it was agreed to amend Article 16:03 to read " Members on strike receive $200 on fifteen (15th) day of the strike or lockout and $250 each seven days thereafter..."It used to be $150 and $200 respectivley. Some highlights of coming out of the General resolutions are: The "CEP Energy Policy" was adopted as CEP Policy by this convention. this policy is available for any of our members to read. The CEP will demand that the Federal government renegotiate the NAFTA so that this trade teaty gives back full jurisdiction over our economic, cultural and social development to the Canadian government. The CEP will mount a campaign to educate to educate it's members on the impact of these international treaties and on the course of action to take to prevent the adoption of treaties which treaten our rights as workers. The CEP will support the Canadian Health Coalition in their efforts to save our medicare sustem. Shirley Douglas was one of the guest speakers at the convention Shirley is the daughter of Tommy Douglas (former Premier of Saskatchewan and founder of our Medicare system as we know it) Shirley, like her father Tommy, is very inspirational and motivational speaker. Higlights of her speech included: The Harris government has closed radiologist schools and cancer clinics amongst other things. There are 11,000 nurses gone due to conditions that were created not due to lack of money but due to the fact that they don't want and now they say they can make things better. We just have to privatize. She urges all CEP members to call or fax the people on this yellow sheet because once private for profit clinics are established, under the NAFTA agreement they can't be delisted. Glen Sonnier, CEP National Rep., has arranged for Sirley to come to Sarnia in early November. I will keep you updated and urge you to attend. Other speakers at the convention included Stephen Lewis, Alexa McDonough and Sandra Cordero (a lady from Columbia, South America) who told here tale, through an translator of how 300 Union leaders have been murdered in the last 3 years. The union is the target of the para-military. She evaded the death squads and was able to come to Canada sponsored in part by the CEP. Elections of our National Executive were held and some of the results are: President... Brian Payne Secratary Treasurer...Andre Foucault VP for Ontario...Cecil Makowski AVP for Ontario ...Joel Carr Bob Huget is now a full time board member as Administrative Vice President, Ontario Region (replacing Dawn Van Nostrand). Brother Ken Glassco declined to run again for Rank and file Board member because he has plans of retiring. Jeff Belanger |