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When Members of Parliament meet with people from their ridings who they know are talking to other voters, it has an impact.
Ottawa (25 Feb. 2020) — Members of the National Union of Public Employees (NUPGE) are in Ottawa today for the annual Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Lobby on the Hill. The Lobby on the Hill is a chance for labour activists to talk to Members of Parliament and Senators about issues that are important to the labour movement.
Focus on 4 issues for 2020 Lobby
This year the Lobby on the Hill is focusing on 4 issues that are priorities for the labour movement.
These are:
- The creation of a universal, single-payer pharmacare program
- Protection for workplace pensions when companies go bankrupt
- A $15/hour federal minimum wage that increases with inflation
- Ratifying the International Labour Organization Convention No. 190 on Violence and Harassment
All of these issues are important for NUPGE members. While the federal minimum wage and workplace pension protection are less likely to affect NUPGE members directly, action on these issues will help our friends, family members and communities.
NUPGE Caucus held the night before the lobby
Because the number of participants from NUPGE Components was higher than in previous years, a NUPGE caucus was organized the night before the lobby. This gave participants a chance to get information produced by the National Union on the issues they would be discussing with Parliamentarians.
Larry Brown, NUPGE President, provided background information on the work NUPGE has done and some of the things to watch for. These include the danger that provinces may be allowed to opt out of a national pharmacare program and the fact recent Supreme Court decisions have made International Labour Organization Conventions far more important than they used to be.
Hearing from constituents has an impact
What makes the CLC and other labour movement lobbying efforts effective is having people meet with their own Members of Parliament. When Members of Parliament meet with people from their ridings who they know are talking to other voters, it has an impact.