CBTU Membership Newsletter - 2024

January 18th, 2024

Greetings CBTU Members:

The Executive Board would like to Thank Janice Gairey for her endless work on the CBTU Canada Executive Board as President, Board member, and retired worker, and she was instrumental in advocating for Global African Workers. Janice is a phenomenal Leader who still does so much meaningful work in communities, labour bodies, and of course here at CBTU. Janice has decided to step away from the Executive Board to enjoy her well-deserved retirement. JaniceYour CBTU Family loves and adores you. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.

Taking a page out of Janice's Book with doing the important Community work, "being one among many" The Executive Board sees all that you are doing in your communities across Canada. Thank You. There is so much happening quickly and it's important that we can get information to you. Please ensure you are signed up to the current WhatsApp chat.

Please continue to follow the WhatsApp CBTU Ontario :

https://chat.whatsapp.com/Iyr23nTGsdF0Dtc6hcsSxv

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

We will be having an in-person General Membership Meeting on January 31st and if there is bad weather the alternative date will be Feb 1st, 2023 at the same time and location. We are asking the membership to support.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 31ST, 2023

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

1263 Wilson Avenue, North York, Ontario, Suite #200

Agenda

1. Introductions

2. CBTU Canada President’s message

3. Guest Speaker

4. Update on Environmental Racism Workshops

5. Upcoming Campaigns

6. CBTU Committees

7. Other Business

Request for Support

CBTU Canada has partnered with the organization, known as Shared Closet GTA to provide support for the African refugees. These refugees were most recently sleeping on the streets of Toronto and the surrounding area. At least one of those refugees passed away while sleeping on the streets of Mississauga Ontario. While many of the refugees are now in hotels and shelters there remains a significant need for clothing and financial support. We are asking that you bring the following new or gently used items to the upcoming CBTU general membership meeting:

Winter clothing and winter accessories
Winter boots
Soap
Deodorant
Toothbrush/Toothpaste
Feminine hygiene products

Please bring any donations on January 31, 2024, to the LIUNA LOCAL 183 Union Hall located at 1263 Wilson Ave #200, North York.

The donated items will then be provided to the African refugees via an upcoming Shared Closet GTA event.

For general inquiries, to schedule a pickup, or to e-transfer monetary donations please email [email protected].

Cheques can be made out to:

Accessing Necessary Knowledge On Becoming Elevated Africans (ANKOBEA)

On behalf of Shared Closet GTA

4544 Sheppard Ave E, Unit 305 Scarborough, ON M1S 1V2

CBTU CANADA STANDING COMMITTEES

CBTU Canada Chapter is seeking members for the following standing committees. We do understand that our lives are filled with many responsibilities, and we do not want to make additions. We are asking that members who would like to participate on a committee Please sign up and use the poll to indicate any interests.

https://form.jotform.com/233533820137148.

Those interested can reach out via email or fill in the online form. There is no requirement to be on a committee. But any help will be appreciated regardless if you are on the committee or not.

Please receive the committees below:

Retiree Committee:

Contact: TBD

Resolutions/Constitution/Bylaws Committee

Contact: Isabelle Miller

[email protected]

Scholarship Committee

Contact: Andrea McCormack

[email protected]

Political Action Committee

Contact: Holmann Richard

[email protected]

CBTU Canada Men’s Committee

Contact : Christopher Wilson

[email protected]

CBTU Canada Women’s Committee

Contact: Christine Maclin

[email protected]

CBTU Fundraising and Social Committee.

(Example: dinner dance planning, boat cruise planning and more.)

Contact: Andrea McCormack or Dennis Williams

[email protected]

CBTU Young Workers Under 40 Committee

Contact: Juanita Forde

[email protected]

The African Refugee Support Committee.

Contact: Mark Brown

[email protected]

The CBTU Making Canadian Black History a significant part of Education Curriculum Committee.

Contact: Juanita Forde

[email protected]

CBTU Support for Federal Workers Class Action Lawsuit Committee.

Contact: Chris Wilson

[email protected]

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY UPDATE

The CBTU Canada Chapter would like to thank Marie Clarke Walker who has been advocating and fighting for racial justice and equity for years. Again she has represented us all in labour with integrity and truth. Marie participated as a member of the Employment Equity Task Force which recently released an historic report calling for the creation of two new designated groups under the Employment Equity Act: Black people and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Marie motivated many of the labour leaders to participate in the consultations that ensured a strong labour perspective with an accompaniment of lived experiences.

Please check out the attached link:

https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/esdc-edsc/documents/corporate/portfolio/labour/programs/employment-equity/reports/act-review-task-force/EEA-Review-Task-Force-Report-2023.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2ydHaV7qmV47xFdjQ6iQT4AfNBQOmB_6mvcXHnXLjOIaZemhzEE1KHHH0

The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists was invited to make a presentation during the consultation process and stood in full support of designating Black as a new group under the Act to ensure that employment equity data is de-segregated based upon race.

GREEN IS NOT WHITE

The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists partnered with the Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities, and Community Health (ENRICH) Project – a project on MakeWay’s Shared Platform, and the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) to deliver twelve workshops under the theme “Climate Change Preparedness in Black Communities in the Greater Toronto, Hamilton Area (GTHA) and the GTA: A Capacity-Building Project” We’re diving deep into climate change preparedness through hands-on workshops and consultations within Black communities in Scarborough, Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga and Hamilton.

We had full participation at the 5 workshops hosted across the GTA. Thank you to all who took part. Participants were able to learn more about climate change and its impacts, identify specific resources and activities required to adapt to climate change-related events in our communities and develop a plan for climate change preparedness and resiliency. The valuable Participant feedback supports an action-research project to build community resilience in the face of climate change.

There is one more workshop to be scheduled in the new year. Lookout on our chats for the date.

A Huge Thank you to Janice Gairey and Christopher Wilson for all their work to make this happen. Let's continue to support this very important life-impacting change.

The fact that CBTU was invited to join this research project that is being co-funded by the McConnell research grant and SSHRC is a credit to the reputation that CBTU has built through your activism in the struggle to confront environmental racism and mitigate the impacts of climate change upon our community.

2024 CBTU MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

THE MEMBERSHIP CYCLE IS FROM JANUARY 1 – DECEMBER 31 OF EACH YEAR

Please feel free to pay your dues now for the 2024 year. Your Membership dues must be up to date by no later than March 1st, 2024 in order to be a member in good standing for the International CBTU Convention in May and other events being planned for the 2024 year.

Membership applications are available Online (Automatically saved to our files) and a printable version for mail in.

Become a Member - Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (cbtu.ca)

TENTATIVE 2024 EVENTS

January - Black History Month Mental Health & Wellness Hybrid Event

January 31st - General Membership Meeting

May - International CBTU Convention Houston, Texas May 23rd - 26th 2024,

June- Black Leadership Summit- This will be an invite-only and CBTU members will have priority to attend. We are currently inquiring about a venue and a confirmed date.

July - Youth Camp

August - Annual CBTU Golf Tournament TBA

September - CBTU Appreciation BBQ

November - Build a school in Jamaica. Give Back

Also continue to check out the CBTU.ca page for info, job opportunities and campaigns. We encourage you to attend our meetings and events, join one of our committees, and participate in the change. We look forward to communicating with you, and please do not hesitate to pass on ideas, suggestions, and comments.

Peace and Solidarity,

CBTU Canada Chapter Executive President: Yolanda McClean, 1st Vice President Chris Wilson, 2nd Vice President Holmann Richard, Treasurer Christine Maclin, Recording Secretary Andrea McCormack, Communications Secretary Isabelle Miller, Communications & Social Media Officer Mark Brown, Membership Secretary Chris Campbell, Member At Large Dennis Williams, Under 40 Representative Juanita Forde, Retiree Member At Large - TBD

Latest posts

Coalition of Black Trade Unionists 2027 Region 1 Conference

CBTU-Canada Statement on Emancipation Day 2026

Voir la version française ci-dessous.

Honouring Our Past. Advancing Justice. Building Our Future.

On August 1, 2026, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) Canada proudly joins Black communities, trade unionists, and Canadians across the country in commemorating Emancipation Day. This year carries special significance as CBTU-Canada also celebrates its 30th Anniversary—three decades of advancing racial justice, equity, and dignity for Black workers throughout Canada.

As we celebrate this milestone, we honour those whose struggles made our progress possible while recommitting ourselves to the work that still lies ahead.

Emancipation Day marks the coming into force of the Slavery Abolition Act, which took effect on August 1, 1834, abolishing the legal enslavement of Africans throughout most of the British Empire. While this legislation represented a historic step toward freedom, it did not erase centuries of injustice or their enduring consequences. To the contrary, the Act compensated slaveholders for the loss of their property while peoples of African descent around the world continue to advocate for reparatory justice almost 200 years after the passage of the Act.

Few Canadians realize that the enslavement of Africans existed on Canadian soil for nearly 200 years before the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act. Enslaved African men, women children and peoples of African descent were bought, sold, inherited, and forced to labour in French and British colonies across the country. Their lives, labour, and humanity were treated as property under Canadian law. The abolition of slavery ended a legal institution, but it did not end the discrimination and inequality that had been built upon it.

For Black Canadians, Emancipation Day is therefore much more than a celebration of freedom. It is an opportunity to reflect honestly upon our history, recognize the extraordinary resilience and courage of our ancestors, honour those who survived unimaginable injustice, and recommit ourselves to addressing the inequalities that continue to be shaped by that history.

This year's Emancipation Day carries even greater international significance.

On March 25, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution declaring the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans (slavery) a crime against humanity. The resolution passed with 123 Member States voting in favour, three voting against, while Canada abstained.

For many Black Canadians, Canada's decision to abstain was deeply hurtful and cast doubt upon the government’s commitment to reparatory justice for our community.

Canada often speaks proudly of its commitment to human rights, equality, and justice. Yet when presented with an opportunity to stand with the overwhelming majority of the international community in recognizing one of history's greatest crimes against humanity, Canada chose not to support the resolution.

The time for Canada to fully confront its own history is long overdue.

Earlier this year, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Prime Minister Mark Carney reminded the international community that "the power of the less powerful begins with honesty." He further stated that countries have the capacity to build a future grounded in respect for human rights, solidarity, and justice, and that we must strive to build a world that is "better, stronger, and more just." Those principles speak directly to the purpose of Emancipation Day and to Canada's responsibility to confront the history of the enslavement of Africans within its own soil..

CBTU-Canada demands a formal federal apology acknowledging Canada's role in the trafficking of enslaved Africans (slavery) as an essential first step toward reparatory justice.

An apology alone cannot erase history.

However, an apology can acknowledge historical truth, recognize the dignity of those whose humanity was denied, and demonstrate a national commitment to ensuring that such injustices are neither forgotten nor repeated.

A federal apology should also serve as the beginning—not the end—of a meaningful national conversation about reparatory justice. The United Nations has started such a worldwide consultation process toward reparatory justice as part of the International Second Decade of Peoples of African Decent. Canada should be leading the way not abstaining. As trade unionists, we understand that social progress has never occurred by accident. Every significant advance in human rights has required ordinary people to organize, educate, advocate, and persist.

That understanding has led CBTU-Canada to launch its Campaign for a Federal Apology for Canada's Role in the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans (slavery).

The campaign calls upon the Government of Canada to formally acknowledge its historical role in the enslavement of Africans, explain its abstention at the United Nations, issue a formal federal apology, and begin a national dialogue on reparatory justice. This campaign is about accepting historical responsibility, honouring truth, and building a Canada that more fully reflects the values of justice, equality, and human dignity that we proudly proclaim.

As CBTU-Canada celebrates thirty years of advocacy for Black workers and communities, we remain inspired by those who came before us and encouraged by the generations who continue this struggle today.

On this Emancipation Day, we remember the lives stolen by slavery.

We honour the resilience of those who survived.

We celebrate the achievements of Black Canadians who continue to shape this nation.

And we recommit ourselves to the unfinished work of justice.

Only by honestly confronting our past can we build a future worthy of the generations yet to come.

Let freedom reign on Emancipation Day.

In solidarity,

Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) Canada
August 1, 2026

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Joins the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) in Canada Calling for a Federal Apology for Canada's Role in the Enslavement of Africans