CUPE President Mark Hancock greets prize draw winner and County Grey Councillor Dane Nielsen, along with FCM president and Vancouver City Councillor Rebecca Bligh, and NEB members Karen Ranalletta and Sherry Hillier.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities held its annual convention and trade show May 29 to June 1 in Ottawa, convening municipal officials from across Canada under the theme “Stronger, Together.” CUPE National President Mark Hancock and members of the National Executive Board were in attendance to bring the voices and priorities of CUPE’s municipal workers to the forefront of discussions.
Key issues at the event included economic concerns stemming from Trump’s ongoing trade war and tariffs, the continued threat of privatization of essential public services, and the critical need for affordable housing solutions in communities nationwide. CUPE is actively engaged in these vital conversations, ensuring that the perspectives of municipal workers are heard.
CUPE hosted a series of coffee chats about the changes to immigration and international student visas. These changes are having negative impacts not only on colleges and universities, but ripple effects on the communities and local labour supply in their regions. Following the FCM’s theme of “Stronger, Together,” these conversations are about finding collaborative solutions to ensure delivery of the education and training workers, families and communities need.
CUPE also convened an Ask the Experts panel focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) in municipalities, and what questions staff and council need to be asking when considering bringing AI into their municipal toolbox. Our experts discussed how municipal leaders can harness the positive aspects of AI while avoiding its potential negative impacts. This session was informed by CUPE’s recent AI guide, “Understanding Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for CUPE Members.”
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak spoke to the conference, reinforcing the need to close the $350 billion gap in housing, water, and sanitation infrastructure in First Nations communities. Chief Woodhouse said First Nations welcome infrastructure development if it includes First Nations perspectives, but warned that “more colonialism in Canada is not the way to beat Trump’s colonialism.”
NDP MP Gord Johns spoke to delegates about the need for a “new fiscal framework” to fund local infrastructure. He framed investing in local communities as nation-buliding, and cautioned against a corporatist or austerity-focused approach to economic sovereignty.
CUPE believes municipalities, and the workers who make them run, must be part of any solution to Canada’s infrastructure crisis. We reject the kneejerk calls for tax cuts, deregulation and privatization from corporate boardrooms and the right-wing. As CUPE’s Montreal Declaration makes clear, this is our opportunity to reshape the Canadian economy into something that truly works for the people.
Prime Minister Mark Carney also addressed the delegates. He spoke about the plan for Build Canada Homes, a new agency that will aim to increase the supply of “deeply affordable” housing with a $25 billion fund to finance construction. PM Carney also described how, in the face of foreign threats, a core priority of this government is to build projects of national significance – projects that connect Canada, that partner with Indigenous communities, and that lead to a more sustainable future. He also previewed public safety legislation, including bail reform.
CUPE’s research shows that “deeply affordable” housing must include non-market housing. If the new federal government is serious about affordability, it must build more social housing, including public, cooperative, and non-profit housing, and align its funding with the obligation to provide adequate housing as a human right.
“CUPE is looking to Prime Minister Carney not only to follow through on these ambitious goals, but also to protect the important programs that were initiated by the previous government, including affordable child care, Pharmacare, and dental care,” said Mark Hancock. “Speed, efficiency, and ambitious goals will mean nothing if workers are left in the dust.”
CUPE will continue to engage with municipal leaders to advocate for robust public services and the rights of our members.