OTTAWA Facing a throne speech that wont meet the growing service and infrastructure needs of Canadian cities and towns, Canadas largest union is launching a campaign to rebuild strong communities.
One in60 Canadians is a member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Our members are in every community across Canada, providing quality public services to our neighbours and our families, said CUPE National President Paul Moist.
Today, Prime Minister Paul Martin is unveiling his plan for child care and community infrastructure. We need to ensure that these vital services meet the needs of cities and towns, he explained.
Whether we are talking about a new deal for cities, or national standards for quality, public not for profit health care and child care, what is decided in Ottawa will affect us all said Moist.
In some communities, trying to keep the public library open on the weekend is the issue of the day, for others it is ensuring that water and waste water remain in public hands and not fall victim to public private partnerships. We want to ensure that political leaders at both the provincial and federal levels are aware that national communities day is not only a celebration of our communities but it is also a time that we draw attention to the need to defend and preserve our quality public services, concluded Moist.
CUPE represents over half a million Canadian workers in health care, municipalities, education, hydro, airlines, child care, and social services. CUPE members deliver the services that Canadians rely upon each day from the MRI technician at the local hospital to the workers at the homeless shelter to flight attendants, our members are the front line workers who defend public services.
-30-
For more information please contact:
Paul Moist, National President (613) 558-2873 (cell) or
Claude Gnreux, National Secretary-Treasurer (613) 794-8395 (cell) (porte-parole francophone)
Catherine Louli (613) 851-0547 or David Robbins (613) 878-1431 in CUPE communications