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Activists show their support for International Human Rights Day by signing an 'Equality Pledge'.
Ottawa (10 Dec. 2010) – Equality and human rights activists from Components of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) are meeting in Ottawa this week to discuss strategies to defend and expand equality and human rights in Canada.
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| NUPGE equality and human rights activists commemorate International Human Rights Day by signing an Equality Pledge. | |
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| SGEU representatives Shelley Johnson, Mike Hanson and Barb Dedi. |
OPSEU's Lori Davis & Doug Evetts, NUPGE's NEB Equity Member. |
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| Elizabeth Ha representing OPSEU/OFL. |
Representives for HSAA Elizabeth Mi & Shirl Young. |
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| SGEU's Judy Kobsar & Terry Downey of OPSEU/OFL. | OPSEU's Ryan Walker & Kim McDowell. |
NUPGE has a long and proud tradition of defending and fighting for equality and human rights both in the workplace and in society as a whole. This includes all human rights from equality and civil rights to social and economic rights. It also includes labour rights which are inseparable from all other rights.
Over the years, NUPGE has used many different strategies including activism, lobbying, community campaigns and collective bargaining to pressure employers and governments to recognize equality and human rights.
Some of the keynote speakers and key topics at this week's meeting include:
- Roundtable Discussion: Key equality and human rights issues facing workers today, both on the job and in society at large.
- The Big Chill – Advocacy and Dissent Under Siege: Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada.
- Exploring the Value of Public Services and Tax Fairness through an Equality Lens.
- Using Social Media to Advance Equality and Human Rights Issues / Campaigns - Presentation and Workshop: (Ian Capstick, president & CEO of MediaStyle Communications).
- The Struggle for Equal Access to Public Services: A Case Study: Donna Jodhan, second vice-president of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians.
- Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing: A Basic Human Right: Libby Davies, member of Parliament for Vancouver East and deputy leader of the NDP in the House of Commons.
The delegates also set aside time during the meeting to discuss and recognize International Human Rights Day (IHRD), which is observed by the international community every year on Dec. 10 to commemorate the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The declaration was one of the UN’s first major achievements and remains a powerful instrument and symbol worldwide.
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| Download NUPGE's December 10 Poster |
NUPGE activists showed their support for IHRD by signing an 'Equality Pledge' which the union has developed as part of its national campaign called All Together Now! The campaign was launched just over a month ago and one of the key goals is to raise awareness about the role of public services and tax fairness in reducing inequality, especially income inequality.
“The job of activists is to promote and strengthen the union’s agenda around equality and human rights issues," says Derek Fudge, NUPGE’s national director of policy development.
“This meeting has been helpful in that respect as it has provided the opportunity for activists from across the country to discuss opportunities and challenges and to share with each other the work that’s going on in the area of equality and human rights on behalf of our members.”
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 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
More information:
• Download NUPGE poster: UN Human Rights Day - December 10