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Toronto – May 15, 2017 – UFCW Canada activists from across the country participated in the 2017 Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Convention, where nearly 4,000 unionists – including 105 UFCW Canada activists – gathered in Toronto from May 8 to 12 for the Congress’s triennial conference. 

The UFCW Canada delegation represented a strong voice at the convention’s plenary sessions, workshops, and committee meetings, where strengthening workers’ rights was a key topic of discussion.  

Canada’s best union was also a driving force behind various resolutions that called for pressuring our federal and provincial governments to close the gender wage gap, enact a $15 minimum wage, protect our public resources, and put an end to workplace violence in Canada. Delegates also passed resolutions aimed at empowering survivors of domestic abuse and increasing diversity with Canada’s unions. 

UFCW’s cutting-edge display booth surpassed all others in the promotional area of the convention hall, exposing thousands of delegates to our union’s digital campaigns for pay equity, free tuition, and ethical supply chains, among others. 

UFCW Canada activists also co-chaired and participated in a number of committees at the convention, including those dealing with economic and social policies, constitutional resolutions, credentials, and general resolutions.  

On day three of the national gathering, Rachel Notley was warmly welcomed by conventioneers as the keynote speaker for the morning. In a rousing speech that brought delegates to their feet, the Alberta NDP leader discussed her government’s success in charting a progressive path at a time when other provinces are pushing tax cuts, austerity, and anti-worker legislation. 

Throughout the five-day event, delegates also heard from author and activist Angela Davis, feminist comedians Candy Palmater and Mary Walsh, First Nations children advocate Cindy Blackstock, and International Labour Organization Director General Guy Ryder. 

Finally, convention-goers voted in elections for the CLC Executive on day four of the conference, electing a new team of officers who will lead the Congress for the next three years. The 29^th CLC Constitutional Convention is scheduled for Spring 2020.