Known for their generosity, delegates to the CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador Division convention in Gander this week raised $7,460 for residents of Daniel’s Harbour.
The tiny community on the province’s Northern Peninsula shot into national prominence last week when images of homes and buildings sliding down cliffs and into the ocean were aired on national TV networks.
CUPE National president Paul Moist committed $5,000 to the relief effort.
On the National Women’s Task Force (NWTF) front Newfoundland/Labrador convention delegates endorsed the 44 recommendations following on the heels of a similar endorsation from Nova Scotia.
Delegates also heard from Robert Fox, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada, about the joint campaign between his organization and CUPE to help fight global poverty. CUPE has committed $100,000 to the campaign, entitled “In the Public Interest” which will make the link between strong public services – such as health care, education, housing and clean water – and eradicating poverty in the global South.
In one African country last year, Mozambique, Canada and other first world countries spent $350 million sending consultants there to tell that country how to ‘fix their problems’. The payroll for the entire public service in Mozambique – that’s federal, provincial and municipal services of every description – is only $75 million. What’s wrong with this picture,” asked Fox.