Latest News

Upcoming dates of significance

20 April 2015

In May, Local 79 will mark Asian Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage Month, and the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. Please read more about these days to learn more about them.

Asian Heritage Month

In December 2001, Senator Vivienne Poy introduced a motion in the Senate of Canada to designate May as Asian Heritage Month and in May, 2002 the Government of Canada officially recognized May as Asian Heritage Month.

This is a worthy acknowledgement of the long and rich history of Asian Canadians and their contributions to Canada. Canada’s, and Toronto’s, rich cultural diversity strengthens the country, and our city, in so many ways.

Local 79 members reflect the diversity of our city, and the programmes and services that our members deliver bring them in daily contact with the many diverse communities that make Toronto so unique.

Although the federal government did not officially signed a declaration until May 2002, cities across Canada, including Toronto, Halifax, Montréal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, have been holding annual festivities during the month of May to recognize Asian Heritage Month since its inaugural celebration in Toronto in 1993.

Over the last two centuries, immigrants have journeyed to Canada from East Asia, Southern Asia, Western and Southwest Asia bringing our society a rich cultural heritage representing many languages, ethnicities and religious traditions. Women and men from these communities have contributed to every aspect of Canadian life – from the arts and science to sports, business and government. However, it is unfortunate that the history of Asian Canadians has too frequently been marred by exploitation and lack of access to basic human rights, such as the exploitation of Chinese railway workers and the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. Today, the Conservative government’s temporary foreign worker Program plays a central role in the ongoing exploitation of Asian workers and the denial of human rights, particularly in the treatment of women in the live-in caregiver programme. Local 79 stands in solidarity with Asian workers and proudly celebrates Asian Heritage Month.

Renowned Canadians of Asian Heritage include:

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., who becameGovernor General of Canada in 1999, was the first Chinese Canadian and second woman to hold the position.

The Honourable Ujjal Dosanjh, QC who became the thirty-third Premier of British Columbia in 2000, was Canada’s first Indo-Canadian provincial leader.

Ratna Ghosh, who is a celebrated educator and administrator, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1999, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2000.

Joy Kogawa, whopublished her first novel, Obasan in 1982. This narrative was considered an important work as part of the movement to redress the wrongs against Japanese Canadians.

Lim Kwong Yew, aka Normie Kwong the China Clipper, whowas the first Chinese Canadian to play in the CFL. He became the youngest player to win a Grey Cup and was named to the Order of Canada in 1998.

Jean Lumb, who in 1972, became the first Chinese Canadian woman to receive the Order of Canada. In 1995, she became a citizenship judge, swearing in new Canadian citizens.

Deepa Mehta, whose films probe at the cultural taboos and political tensions of her native India, has been nominated for many international film awards. Her film Water was nominated for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, making it Canada’s first non-French-language film to receive a nomination in that category.Mehta divides her time between Toronto and India.

Rohinton Mistry, whose novels about family and community amid the crushing poverty of his native India have earned comparisons with Charles Dickens. Mistry emigrated to Canada in 1975, settling in Toronto.

Michael Ondaatje, who is one of Canada’s most accomplished and varied writers and was named to the Order of Canada in 1988. In 1970, he settled in Toronto and, from 1971 to 1990, taught English literature at York University and Glendon College.

Dr. David Suzuki, who is a geneticist, broadcaster and author, has an international reputation for scientific and environmental education and is recognized as a world leader in the study of sustainable ecology.


 

Jewish Heritage Month

On February 23, 2012, the Ontario Legislature passed Bill 17, making the month of May Jewish Heritage Month in the Province. The legislation received strong cross-party support, being introduced by Liberal MPP Mike Colle as a private member’s bill with co-sponsorship from Peter Shurman of the Progressive Conservative Party and Cheri DiNovo of the NDP.

This Bill recognizes and honours the significantcontributions of Jewish Canadiansto the social, economic, political and cultural fabric across Ontario for more than two centuries. The Jewish community has worked side-by-side with Ontarians from all backgrounds to help build this province, and their continued involvement has supported and enhanced the diverse multicultural mosaic that makes Ontario a place envied around the world. Jewish Heritage Month is an opportunity to remember, celebrate and educate future generations about the inspirational role that Jewish Canadians have played, and continue to play, in communities across Ontario.

May was chosen because it is an important month for the Jewish Canadian community.Holocaust Remembrance Day and Israeli Independence Day frequently occur in May depending on the lunar calendar, and the Toronto Jewish Film Festival and Jewish Music Week are annual May events.

Canada has the fourth largest Jewish community in the world, exceeded only by Israel, the United States, and France. More than half of this country’s 360,000 Jewish Canadians live in Ontario. Local 79 stands in solidarity with Jewish workers and proudly celebrates Jewish Heritage Month.

Renowned Canadians of Jewish Heritage include:

Rosalie Abella, Supreme Court Justice
Dave Barrett, former Premier of British Columbia
Leonard Cohen, musician and poet
David Croll, first Jewish senator
Drake, hip hop artist and actor
Lew Hayman, Toronto Argonauts & Montreal Alouettes coach
Naomi Klein, Activist
Stephen Lewis, Former Leader of the Ontario NDP, United Nations’ special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Anne Michaels, poet and novelist
Peter C. Newman, journalist
Nathan Phillips, Former Mayor of Toronto
Louis Rasminsky, Order of Canada, 3rd Governor Bank of Canada
Mordecai Richler, author, screenwriter and essayist
William Shatner, actor and director
Miriam Waddington, poet


INTERATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA,TRANSPHOBIA, AND BIPHOBIA

International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia will becelebratedin 2015 on Sunday May 17th and this year’s campaign theme is “Allies Show Their Colours”.

According to the campaign websiteof Fondation Émergence, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year:

The 2015 campaign to fight homophobia and transphobia, highlights the crucial role of allies in the personal development of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals.

“This year, our awareness campaign recognizes the important contribution made by allies in the lives of all LGBT individuals. We all know a relative, a co-worker or a friend who contributed, in one way or another, to our self-development. A more inclusive society will allow sexual diversity to find its rightful place,”

May 17th is symbolic due to its significance in improving the status of gays and lesbians. It is the anniversary of the date on which the World Health Organization (WHO) put an end to over a century of homophobia in the medical field, by removing homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. The Declaration of Montréal(July 29, 2006), borne out of the International Conference on LGBT Rights that preceded the first World Outgames, recommended the worldwide recognition of an International Day Against Homophobia on May 17th of each year.

This special day, which is dedicated to fighting against homophobia in our communities, was initiated by Fondation Emergence and its partners to combat the prejudices and negative attitudes that some Canadians still have towards homosexuals. CUPE National, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, and Centrale des syndicats du Québec, are among the many sponsors ofInternational Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.

Local 79 recognizes that discrimination, in any form, focuses on characteristics that make us different. This reduces our capacity to work together to achieve decent wages, safe working conditions and justice in the workplace.

While we cannot fix the problem of homophobia in our country overnight, Local 79 realizes that taking a day to acknowledge and raise awareness about the discrimination faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and transsexual Canadians, will in time have significant impact on attitudes and treatments towards all peoples.

Local 79 is also proud to be included with the many labour groups and community organizations across the country that recognize and support this important day. Since May 2006,whenthe Mayor responded to a request from Local 79 to proclaim May 17th as National Day against Homophobia in Toronto, this important date has been included every year in the Mayor’s proclamations.