February is Black History Month. CUPE Ontario urges its members to take this time to acknowledge and honour the many contributions people of African heritage have made to Canada and to the Canadian labour movement. The history of Black Canadians can be traced back to the early 1600s. While some people of African descent were…
On Monday, January 18th, CUPE Ontario joins with those around the world who will honour the life and work of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. As trade unionists, we celebrate Dr. King because of his contributions to human rights and because we have a responsibility to carry on his work. Although some don’t…
CUPE Ontario’s Racial Justice Committee would like to alert members to a writing competition for Toronto youth ages 11 to 17. The City of Toronto is holding a writing contest in honour of Black History Month. Young people are invited to share a story about black Torontonians, past or present, who have contributed to Toronto’s…
On August 3, CUPE Ontario proudly commemorates Emancipation Day, which marks the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act. The Act ended slavery across the British Empire over 180 years ago, on August 1, 1834. Emancipation Day coincides with Simcoe Day, named for Lt.Gov. John Graves Simcoe, who passed an Act Against Slavery in 1793, ultimately…
LONDON, ON – Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario, including President Fred Hahn and Diversity Vice-President Patrick Hannon, will participate in Sunday’s London Pride parade. “Pride is Political. It is a public manifestation of the on-going fight for fairness and equality. And it is an important way to support our members…
TORONTO, ON – Members of Ontario’s largest union took a historic step last week, changing their union’s constitution to ensure broader diversity on its executive board, which will enhance the union’s work against the austerity agenda. Delegates to the 52nd annual convention of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) voted overwhelmingly to expand the…
May is Asian Heritage Month, and CUPE Ontario encourages all members to take this opportunity to reflect on the economic, social, cultural, and political contributions people of Asian decent have made to our country, our society and our union. Asian Heritage Month has been celebrated in the United States for over three decades. In December…
March 21 is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This day marks the anniversary of a bloody massacre that took place in 1960, when 69 Black demonstrators were killed and 180 wounded in Sharpeville, South Africa, as they protested apartheid pass laws. These laws restricted the ability of Black South Africans to…
February is Black History Month, and CUPE Ontario encourages all members to take this opportunity to reflect on the contributions people of African heritage have made to our country, our society and our union. Upper Canada, now Ontario, was a pioneer in the abolition of slavery. In 1793 Governor John Graves Simcoe passed the Anti-slavery…
