The FTQ – Quebec’s central labour body – made its own piece of history when, for the first time, it made a presentation at a United Nations conference on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark, last December. The international conference was attended by state leaders from around the world – including Stephen Harper and Barack Obama – as a followup on global warming, carbon emissions, and related issues in the post-Kyoto world, with focus on what will be done from 2020 to 2050, considered a critical period for action.

The FTQ delegation was led by Louis Bolduc (seen standing in photo), an FTQ vice-president and executive assistant to UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. Labour participants took part in an effort by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) on behalf of 300 unions worldwide to ensure the global voice of workers is part of the process.

“It is of the utmost importance that working people are heard,” Louis says. “We must ensure that the burden of changes to come is not on the backs of workers, and that everyone will have a fair share in the new economic opportunities that will exist.”

Vol. X No. 8, March 1, 2010