Candace Rennick | CUPE’s National Secretary-Treasurer
Canada is facing an uncertain future. Donald Trump’s return as president of the United States is spreading chaos around the world and threatening Canadian sovereignty.
Many in Canada are rightfully asking: what defines us as a nation? National sovereignty is more than borders and trade agreements. It is also building a just society by making collective choices that reflect our values. And one of the clearest expressions of those values is the way that we deliver and protect our public services.
Our public health care system, our schools, child care centres and universities, our public libraries and community centres, the social services that support the most vulnerable, and the public infrastructure that gives us roads and clean water — these and so many more, are the services that knit our country together. They define the kind of country we want to live in, a country where no one is left behind.
CUPE members are the glue that holds these public services together. Our members show up, every day, in every corner of Canada, with dedication and professionalism. In many ways, we are the glue that holds this country together.
But in spite of our hard work, the reality is many people are being left behind. Sometimes it feels like our dream of a country where we support one another, where everyone has access to quality public services when they need them, is being destroyed. We see cuts and closures that hurt both workers and the people they serve.
That is why our union’s role has never been more important. At the bargaining table, in the workplace, and in the public arena, we fight to protect public services and workers’ rights.
We saw our union in action and at its best in the recent strike at Air Canada. When flight attendants stood together and continued the strike despite government interference, CUPE members across the country jumped into action. The courage of flight attendants and the solidarity of our members made it very clear that laws designed to silence workers will not stand in the way of our fight for justice.
At our National Convention, we will chart the course for the coming years. I see CUPE continuing our role as a powerful voice shaping Canada’s future. Together, we have the strength to influence public policy decisions. When governments see CUPE members standing together on an issue, they know they have to listen. When we speak with one voice about the importance of public services, that voice is too strong to ignore.
As Canadians look for a way to stand strong in challenging times, we should look no further than our public services and the passionate workers who deliver them. Every time a CUPE member provides care to an elder, teaches a child, answers an emergency call, or repairs a pothole, they are serving their community and building the Canada we want to live in.
When we defend our members, we defend these values. When we fight for well-funded public services, we are fighting for Canada itself. That is real sovereignty — not just independence from outside pressure, but the ability to build the society we want, together.
