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CUPE members attending this historic human rights conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Nov. 23-26, 2006, have endorsed the following declaration, hereinafter known as the “Vancouver Declaration.” The following principles and ideas form the basis for current actions and initiatives, including resolutions to future provincial and service division conventions as well as to the CUPE national convention:

  • A CUPE human rights course arising from the work of this conference will be developed and made available to all CUPE locals, district councils, provincial and service divisions. We will encourage all CUPE chartered organizations to offer this course to its members. A CUPE glossary of terms to assist in our equality education and work shall be established in consultation with the national equality committees and revised on a regular basis.
  • CUPE will pursue organizing and bargaining strategies that ensure union representation, and improved wages, benefits and pensions for all equality-seeking groups.
  • All CUPE locals, district councils, provincial and service divisions, and CUPE National will strive to identify and remove systemic barriers to representation of equality-seeking groups on elected executives.
  • The National President’s December 2006 report will detail progress on the establishment of diversity representation on CUPE national committees, as a result of the process approved in the 2005 national convention Strategic Directions policy document.
  • The national diversity vice-presidents’ action plan shall be updated in consultation with the appropriate national equality committees and will continue to be resourced by the national executive board.
  • CUPE locals, provincial and service divisions shall be encouraged to form aboriginal councils and equality committees.
  • The work of the CUPE national global justice committee shall include providing recommendations to the national executive board on human rights and equality issues internationally including peace in the Middle East, and human rights injustices wherever they occur.
  • CUPE reaffirms its historical policies of the right to self-determination for Quebec and for self-determination and self-government for First Nations.
  • CUPE National is committed to the pursuit of employment equity in the hiring of staff to ensure that CUPE staff are representative of its diverse membership.
  1. CUPE National is committed to the trainee representative program.
  2. CUPE National will work with its staff unions on negotiated employment equity plans.
  3. CUPE National is committed to educating our staff on equality issues.

 

Endorsed by conference delegates, Nov. 26, 2006.