National Committees

CUPE members from across the country serve on national committees and working groups. These activists provide input and valuable feedback on CUPE campaigns and actions on a wide variety of issues.

National Aboriginal Council

National Aboriginal Council works on increasing the active participation, promoting and defending the rights of all Aboriginal Workers in our union and the community. They provide advice on all issues pertaining to racism, partnership agreements and employment equity and assist in developing CUPE policies.

National Advisory Committee on Pensions

(Standing in the back row) John Gangl, CUPE Local 21, Saskatchewan; Nancy Parker, Senior Research Officer, National Office; Jean-Charles Lavigne, CUPE Local 4047, 4041, 4078, Airline; Keith Todd, CUPE Local 2081, British Columbia; Kelly Knox, HEU; Bob Ripley (Co-Chair), CUPE Local 500, Manitoba; Judy Henley, NEB Liaison; Kevin Skerrett, Staff Person, Senior Research Officer, National Office; David Carrington, CUPE Local 1, Ontario (Sitting in the 1st row)Ann Dembinski, CUPE Local 79; Yvonne Sullivan, CUPE Local 2329, Newfoundland and Labrador; Delalene Harris-Foran (Co-Chair), CUPE Local 1127, New Brunswick; Rosemary Kostiuk, CUPE Local 3550, Alberta; Todd MacPherson, CUPE Local 5050, Alternate, Nova Scotia (Absent) Anne Burgess, CUPE Local 1933, Nova Scotia; Lane MacLaren, CUPE Local 805, Prince Edward Island; Michel Lizée, Section locale 1294 du SCFP, Québec

The National Advisory Committee on Pensions works to build the capacity of CUPE, the labour movement and our allies to promote, defend and improve pension plans. They provide advice on how to assist union trustees and pension activists in analyzing information to improve pension plans, including new developments and issues in pension funds and investments.

National Child Care Working Group

Left to right: Sitting Randi Gurholt-Seary, BC (Co-chair); Jamie Kass, ON (Co-chair); Darcie Beggs, Staff; Gail Brinston, NL; Lori Schroen, MB Standing Michelle Cohen, Staff; Sharon Thompson, NB; Sandy Harding, NEB Liaison; Karen Wright, NS; Christine Gilligan, ON; Annick Michaud, QC; Shawna Quinn, PEI; Louella Vincent, HEU

The National Child Care Working Group provides advice on how CUPE can advocate for universal, affordable, not-for-profit, regulated, high quality, unionized child care; and organize more child care workers, negotiate on their behalf and represent them better on a day to day basis. This includes working to build our capacity to take action and to integrate the work with other sectors in CUPE.

National Contracting Out and Privatization Coordinating Committee

National Contracting Out and Privatization Coordinating Committee’s overall goal is to fight P3’s and privatization on behalf of CUPE members and their communities across the country. Education of members and coordination of information is key to this goal. They coordinate, review successes, strategize and develop resources to combat contracting out and privatization.

National Environment Committee

CUPE's National Environment Committee recommends measures, programs and campaigns to the national union to ensure that environmental issues remain a priority for CUPE. This includes promoting environmentally friendly and sustainable workplaces by providing locals with assistance and advice on campaigns, programs, collective bargaining and public awareness of environmental issues.

National Global Justice Committee

The National Global Justice Committee provides focus to CUPE’s global justice work and administers our Global Justice Fund. This Committee’s work in Canada and with strategic international partners helps build a global movement to oppose corporate privatization, trade, deregulation, and increased threats to security, peace and human rights.

National Health and Safety Committee

National Health and Safety Committee provides a leadership role by recommending measures, programs and campaigns that focus on prevention of occupational illnesses and accidents. They pursue opportunities to integrate occupational health and safety with the work of other committees and in all regions and sectors of CUPE.

National Health Care Issues Committee

Back row, left to right: Frank de Waard, Irene Jansen, Gordon Black, Wayne Brown Middle row, left to right: Normand Robillard, Rose Streick, Deborah Bourque, Bill McKinnon, Heather Farrow, Wanda Livingstone, Doug Allan Front row, left to right: Debbie Gervais, Sherry Hiller, Mike Old, Gordon Campbell, Norma Robinson, Suzanne Posyniak

The National Health Care Issues Committee provides advice to the CUPE National Executive Board on how CUPE can defend and promote publicly funded and delivered health care; negotiate improved wages and working conditions for health care members; organize new health care members; and work in coalition with other unions and public health care advocates. Committee members also help carry out CUPE National health care projects and campaigns, and liaise with other NEB committee members in their province and with their respective divisions and health care locals, committees and other bodies.

National Library Committee

The National Library Committee provides advice on how CUPE can promote public libraries in communities, public schools, colleges, and universities across Canada. It will monitor privatization and contracting out in the library sector and provide advice on strategies to fight back against these threats. The committee will discuss new and emerging issues in the sector including new workplace technologies, workload, health and safety, violence in public workplaces, and intellectual property.

National Literacy Committee

First Row: Bernard Gallant – Dawn Learning - Sarah Bjorknas – Suby Lyn Kerr – Darlene Hynes Second Row: Brigitte Couturier – Karyn Noble – Cindy Jessop – Sylvia Sioufi, - Jackie Woodley – Bert Providence Third Row: Denis Régimbald – Danny Cavanah – Dianne Martin – Chad Ennis – Philip Dembicki

Committee members provide advice to the CUPE National Executive Board and the Literacy Coordinator on how CUPE can achieve its literacy goals.

National Pink Triangle Committee

From left to right: Back Row: Lawrence McCarthy (NL). Middle Row: Donna Smith (SK), Kathy McMahon (BC), Marlene Gaudet (NS), Wayne Lucas (NEB Liaison), Martine Stonehouse (Trans Representative) Front Row (seated): Joanne Martin (Staff Advisor), Gerry Lavallee (Airline Division, Co-Chair), Karen McVeigh (HEU, Co-Chair), Mike Connors (NB), Line Blackburn (PQ)

The National Pink Triangle Committee promotes and defends the rights and freedoms of lesian, gay, bisexual, transgender and transsexual (LGBTT) persons. Their active participation in coalitions, lobbying and campaigns contributes to the education and awareness of the lives and perspectives of LGBTT people amongst CUPE members, within CUPE structures, in workplaces and communities.

National Political Action Committee

National Political Action Committee works to build CUPE’s political action capacity in every region, providing advice on effective lobbying and mobilization on federal, provincial and municipal political issues. They encourage members and staff to join and be active in the NDP and in friendly coalitions. Integrating political action into all aspects of union work is a major goal for this committee.

National Post-Secondary Task Force

The National Post-Secondary Task Force provides advice on how CUPE can advocate for publicly funded and delivered post- secondary education through an integrated system of public community colleges and universities. It will advise on lobbying approaches for increased funding for post-secondary education. The task force will make recommendations on strategies to resist privatization of post-secondary education as well as strategies to engage employers in coordinated bargaining at the regional, provincial, and national level.

National Rainbow Committee

FRONT ROW (Sitting from Left to Right) Charlene Gordon/Frank Lee (co-chair)/Neeraj Bhanot (co-chair)/Harminder Magon (Staff Advisor to the committee)/Zully Trujillo BACK ROW (Standing from left to Right) Shehnaz Motani/Cherie Thomas/Amy Dosanj/David Hylton/Dhammika Amarapala/Tom Eng/Yolanda McClean (NEB Liaison)

The National Rainbow Committee is a working committee on racism, discrimination and employment equity. They review, evaluate, monitor and assist in developing CUPE policies and programs to ensure our commitment to promoting and defending the rights of all workers of colour in our communities, locally, nationally and internationally. Contact the National Rainbow Committee.

National Women’s Committee

The National Women’s Committee has a mandate to advocate for diverse women’s leadership at all levels in CUPE, to increase and support the active participation of diverse women in influencing CUPE’s direction, and to fight for diverse women’s issues inside CUPE, within the labour movement and in our communities, locally, nationally and internationally.

National Young Workers Committee

Opening doors to young workers and developing the next generation of activists needs to be a priority for CUPE at the local, division and national level.

Persons With Disabilities National Working Group

The Persons with Disabilities Working Group promotes and defends the rights of all persons with disabilities to improve conditions in the workplace, in our communities and at labour events. Achieving this requires the committee members to participate in coalitions, political and organizing activities to build links and demystify the reality of persons with disabilities.