Shawn Haggerty elected UFCW Canada National President

New UFCW Canada National President Shawn Haggerty with UFCW International President Marc Perrone and UFCW International Vice-Presidents (left-right): Kelly Tosato, Antonio Filato, Lucy Flack Figueiredo, Kim Novak, Shawn Haggerty, Marc Perrone, Wayne Hanley, Jeff Traeger

Toronto – February 27, 2024 – Shawn Haggerty, a well-known long-time labour activist, has been elected the national president of Canada’s leading and most progressive private sector union, with more than 250,000 members across Canada. In addition, Haggerty has been elected executive vice president of UFCW International, as part of the senior leadership team of a union of 1.3 million members in the U.S. and Canada.

Haggerty’s activism in the labour movement spans decades, when he first became a member of UFCW Local 416P while working as an electrician in the maintenance department at Robin Hood Multi-Foods in Port Colborne, Ontario.

In 2007, Haggerty was elected president of UFCW 175, which is the largest local union in Canada, a role which he remained in for 17 years. He became a UFCW Canada national council vice president in 2007, and in 2019, he was elected UFCW International vice president.

“Shawn has spent his lifetime committed to building a better life for workers, and his decades of experience of a union leader and labour activist makes him the right person to fight the battles modern labour is facing,” says UFCW International President Marc Perrone. “On behalf of UFCW International, we congratulate Shawn, and look forward to working with him to continue improving the lives of our members across North America.”

“I am honoured by the confidence of UFCW Canada and UFCW International in entrusting me in this role,” says President Haggerty. “I have dedicated my career to building a better life for UFCW workers and commit to building upon the excellent work that UFCW activists have achieved over the years. Together, our union family will continue to advance fairness, equality and social justice for our members and all workers.”

Haggerty’s election follows the retirement announcement of the previous UFCW Canada national president, Paul Meinema, who retired after over four decades of dedicated service to the labour movement.

In addition to his new responsibilities as national president of UFCW Canada, Haggerty sits as a trustee on several benefit plan boards, and he also serves as UFCW’s leading voice on the Canadian Labour Congress’s executive council.

View Shawn Haggerty’s full bio and headshot here.