CAW Kicks off Historic Convention in Toronto – August 20-24

TORONTO- More than 1,000 CAW members and guests will gather at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto on August 20-24 for the union’s first national Constitutional and Collective Bargaining Convention.

The convention will feature addresses by CAW President Ken Lewenza, AIDS-Free World Co-Director Stephen Lewis, LeadNow’s Julia Pope, Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, CEP President Dave Coles, Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page, CUPE President Paul Moist and Canadian Labour Congress President Ken Georgetti.

Delegates will vote on the proposal to create the largest private sector union in Canada, with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) – a move that would mark the largest ever coming together of unions in Canadian history. This vote will be the first of two.  A similar vote will be held at the CEP convention, October 14-17 in Quebec City.

Elected delegates to the convention will debate current issues, strategize on how to tackle critical challenges and shape the union’s bargaining and political action agenda for the future. The union will also be live streaming the convention for the first time ever.

Members of the media are welcome to attend and asked to register in advance.

The agenda will be as follows:

Monday, August 20

 10:00 a.m.
Call to Order – Peter Kennedy, CAW National Secretary-Treasurer

Opening Address – Ken Lewenza, CAW National President

3:00 p.m.
Order of the Day – Paul Moist, CUPE National President

Tuesday, August 21

 10:00 a.m.
Order of the Day – Stephen Lewis, – AIDS-Free World Co-Director

 2:30 p.m.
Order of the Day – Kevin Page, Parliamentary Budget Officer

 3:30 p.m.
Order of the Day – Ken Georgetti, CLC President

Wednesday, August 22

 10:00 a.m.

Order of the Day – Dave Coles, CEP President

 11:00 a.m.
Order of the Day – Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of Canada and Chair of the Financial Stability Board

 2:00 p.m.
Report of New Union Proposal Committee

Proposal Committee Co-Chairs:

Gaetan Menard, CEP Secretary-Treasurer

Peter Kennedy, CAW Secretary-Treasurer

 Thursday, August 23

 9:00 a.m.
Report of National Secretary-Treasurer – Peter Kennedy

10:00 a.m.
Order of the Day – Julia Pope, LeadNow Strategic Communications & Special Projects

2:00 p.m.
Nomination & Election of Officers and National Executive Board Trustees