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“All of you are doing work that is so important to your members and to everybody in Canada,” said Brown after his acclamation. “To be able to say that I represent you takes my breath away.”
Ottawa (27 June 2016) — Larry Brown was acclaimed as the new President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), and Elisabeth Ballermann was acclaimed its new Secretary-Treasurer on the afternoon of June 25 by delegates of NUPGE's 40th Convention.
“All of you are doing work that is so important to your members and to everybody in Canada,” said Brown after his acclamation. “To be able to say that I represent you takes my breath away.”
Brown committed to continuing NUPGE’s struggle against rising income inequality. “It is the battle of our times,” he said.
Before his acclamation, Brown had been NUPGE’s Secretary-Treasurer. Outgoing NUPGE President James Clancy nominated Brown.
Outgoing NUPGE President nominates Larry Brown
“I’ve known and worked with Larry for 30 years. He’s a helluva trade unionist,” said Clancy. “There’s nobody with more experience, determination, and love for this union and its members than Larry Brown.”
Jerry Earle, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public Employees (NAPE/NUPGE) seconded the nomination.
"We are citizens," Ballermann tells delegates
Ballermann said she intends to keep up the fight for quality public services and for Canada’s values of democracy and economic equality. “Please help me get rid of that terrible word ‘taxpayer,’” she said in her acceptance speech. “We are citizens.”
Before her acclamation, Ballermann had been President of Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA/NUPGE). She was nominated by Warren “Smokey” Thomas, President of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE).
“She spent many many years fighting a fella named Ralph Klein,” said Thomas, “and the new NDP Premier just appointed her to the Premier’s Advisory Committee on the Economy.”
Susie Proulx-Daigle, President of the New Brunswick Union (NBU/NUPGE) seconded Ballermann’s nomination.
NUPGE
James Clancy is the National President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE