“We’re all in this fight together to sustain a blue planet and make sure water is available to everybody.”
CUPE National Indigenous Council and CUPE 1870 member Leo Cheverie shared this call to action as part of his Water is life story in the spring of 2023. Leo died on Sept. 7, 2023, leaving us all to mourn his passing – and to celebrate his lifetime of union and community activism.
Leo Cheverie was of Inuk ancestry from Labrador and his home community in geographic terms was East Point, P.E.I.
In this video, he stressed that P.E.I. is particularly vulnerable to water shortages, as its sole source of drinking water comes from the ground. Small farms are being replaced by large, monocultural farms whose pesticides and chemicals run off into waterways. “Water, globally, is in short supply and needs to be protected.”
Leo touched and inspired people around him with his passion on many issues, including water. Watch and listen to his story about Indigenous water protectors and the urgency of coming together to protect our most precious resource.
Then take the pledge to listen, learn and act: