World Food Day
It’s World Food Day, and access to food is grossly unjust at home and abroad. This can be because of war and occupation, or due to systemic inequities in distribution systems. We can do better, by applying our collective power...
Category: Equity
The Fifth National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
We are more than ten years into the Truth and Reconciliation process, yet sometimes it feels like we are just beginning. It falls to all of us, whether Indigenous or not, to learn, unlearn, and act in better ways –...
International Pay Equity Day
It’s 2025 and we are still working to end gendered pay inequity. Removing gendered divisions between workers is a core objective of labour – better equity leads to better unity, and vice versa. At the same time, it helps that...
Pride = Solidarity, Solidarity = Power
While June is generally viewed as Pride month, Canada’s various Pride events take place throughout the summer months. From the Festival Fierté Val d’Or, Dryden, and Okotoks Pride in early June, to Calgary and Ottawa in late August, the calendar...
Firefighters and Cancer – the story continues
Cancer is still the leading cause of death for firefighters. Firefighters’ unions and some lawmakers have made progress in recent years, but there is much more that can be done to get better and more equitable access to prevention and...
Youth in UCTE
Today is International Youth Day. UCTE takes renewal and succession in the union seriously. A panel discussion at our recent leadership conference, “New Voices in the Union” focused on younger members’ growth, training, retention, and development as union activists. Delegates...
Leadership Conference Wrap-up
Another successful UCTE Leadership Conference is in the books! Here are some selected photos of the sessions. Delegates heard inspiring talks on many subjects, all intended to equip them to build up our collective strength while caring for one another’s...
Public Safety and Women in Transport: Karen Houlahan
UCTE represents Inspectors at Transport Canada in many locations around the country. Karen Houlahan is a Civil Aviation Inspector and President of Local 00018. There is a lot more to our members’ work than you might have heard. Even other...
National Indigenous Peoples Day
National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, June 21, pre-dates the truth and reconciliation process, but it was an important step forward on that road. Advocacy to establish the day came from the Assembly of First Nations (then called the National Indian Brotherhood),...
Juneteenth Matters for Canada Too
Juneteenth is not officially recognized in Canada, but it is valuable in thinking about the history of slavery here and whose stories we are really telling in conventional history. Juneteenth is important because it de-centers the official experience of emancipation...