Canadian Congress Begins New Term

The Canadian Congress met January 25-26, 2003 in Ottawa, Ontario. President Flynn started the meeting with an overview of Canadian membership, bargaining, and construction trends, followed by a status report by Congress Co-Chair Alfred Vautour on the Millennium Morning Project.

2003-2004 Delegates to the IU Canadian Congress. From left, front row: BAC Executive Vice President Ken Lambert; Rob Tuzzi, 1 BC; BAC Canadian Affairs Director Joe Bognar; BAC Special Deputy Albert Vincent; Canadian Co-Chair Alfred Vautour, APTTC; BAC President John J. Flynn; BAC Secretary-Treasurer James Boland; Rick Eade, 6 ON; Dan Plunkett, 7 CN; and Frank Krauthaker, 1 MB. From left, second row: Ray Deleskie, 2 NS; Ivan Doucet, 8 NB; Clarence Gallant, 1 PE; Frank Perri, 4 AB; Peter Homan, 2 AB; Clarence Medernach, 1 SK; Mike Gagliano, 6 ON; and Maurice Mongeon, 4 PQ. (Not pictured is John Leonard, 1 NF.)

“When the final numbers are in” President Flynn told attendees, “the Canadian economy is expected to have grown at a rate of 3.3 percent or better. This is faster than the rate of growth currently estimated for the U.S. economy. And the construction industry was one of the big contributors to the country’s economic strength and employment growth.”

During the year, construction employment increased by 7.4 percent, and the total value of building permits grew to a record level. According to CanaData, “Based on the strength of the Canadian economy, the overall outlook for Canadian construction looks solid for 2003, barring any significant downward changes in the U.S. or world economies.”

This means “there will be opportunities for our Locals in Canada to strengthen their membership levels and their bargaining position this year,” said Flynn. “And this Canadian Congress offers us a good opportunity to identify ways to take advantage of these opportunities.”

The most newsworthy segment of the meeting was a discussion of the new special dues procedures enacted to strengthen Canadian organizing activities (see page 7). Delegates expressed appreciation to the Executive Board for the decision, which they believe will greatly further their ability to attract and retain members, as well as fend off other unions and organizations.

Sandra Skivsky, an economic analyst involved with Phase II of the Canadian Masonry Human Resources Committee (CMHRC) Study — an important adjunct to the Millennium Morning Project — updated delegates on the meetings and follow-up actions of the eleven labor-management task forces that are guiding the work of the Study, including masonry promotion, certification, mobility, and outreach and recruitment of women and aboriginal groups, to name a few. Members can track the Study’s progress by logging onto www.cmhrc.ca/.

Delegates reviewed, with President Flynn and Secretary-Treasurer Boland, the 2003 work plan for Canadian programs — an annual obligation of the Congress under the IU Constitution.

International Pension Fund Executive Director David Stupar and attorney Don Eady reported on the genesis of preliminary settlement talks between the trustees of the former and current officers’ pension plans, and the IPF Canada and the BACU plans. Co-Chair Vautour commented that an equitable settlement “would be preferable to protracted litigation.”

Tony Wholfarth (right), Commissioner for Workers to the Canada Employment Insurance (EI) Commission, talks with Local 6 ON Business Manager Mike Gagliano.

Guest speaker Anthony Wholfarth, Commissioner for Workers to the Canada Employment Insurance (EI) Commission, told delegates about the Canadian Building Trades’ successful lobbying to make EI more incentive-driven, and better able to respond to the needs of construction workers. Wholfarth also provided valuable advice on how Local officers can prepare members who must navigate their way through the system, particularly during the appeals process.

Fourteen delegates were in attendance at the meeting, in addition to President Flynn, Secretary-Treasurer Boland, and Executive Vice President Lambert.

Of the fourteen, six were new delegates to the Congress, beginning a two-year term that runs from 2003 through 2004. In accordance with the IU Constitution, each province is entitled to at least one delegate. Additional delegates from other Locals in a province are based on the province’s overall membership. Provinces with 650 or fewer members, but with multiple Locals, are represented on the Congress by a single Local, in numeric order, on a two-year rotating basis.