TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 20, 2013) -
ATTN: NATIONAL NEWS, POLITICS AND ASSIGNMENT EDITORS FOR MARCH 26 - 28, 2013
A three-day international conference in Toronto, March 26 - 28, is set to provide a forum for new evidence and research that confirms the critical role labour rights and unions play in advancing democracy, creating greater economic equality, and promoting the social well-being of all Canadians.
The conference, "Labour Rights and Their Impact on Democracy, Economic Equality and Social Justice", is presented by the Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights (CFLR) and sponsored by the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE); the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW Canada); and the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF).
With labour rights under attack in many jurisdictions across Canada and around the world, this crucial conference explores how regressive labour laws have increased income inequality, eroded the middle class, and threaten the foundations of democracy. The conference is also a strategic forum in building a broad-based progressive coalition in support of shared values of Canadians and the labour movement.
Richard Wilkinson, one of the world's most preeminent researchers on social inequalities and author of the bestseller "Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone," will kick of the CFLR conference as the keynote speaker on Tuesday, March 26, at 7:00 p.m. His headline-generating research shows that societies with more equal distribution of incomes have better health, fewer social problems, and are more productive than ones in which the gap between the rich and poor is greater.
Other speakers will include Canadian and international human rights advocates, labour leaders, progressive labour relations academics, and labour lawyers recognized for their work on issues related to the conference.
ATTN: NATIONAL NEWS, POLITICS AND ASSIGNMENT EDITORS FOR MARCH 26 - 28, 2013
WHAT: |
International conference presented by the Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights: |
Labour Rights and Their Impact on Democracy, Economic Equality and Social Justice |
WHEN: |
Tuesday, March 26, 2013, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. |
Wednesday, March 27, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
Thursday, March 28, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. |
WHERE: |
Hilton Toronto |
145 Richmond St. W, Toronto, ON |
WHO: |
Presenters at the conference include: |
James Clancy, National President, NUPGE |
Wayne Hanley, National President, UFCW Canada |
Paul Taillefer, President, Canadian Teachers' Federation |
Richard Wilkinson, Co-Director, The Equality Trust and Co-author, "The Spirit Level" |
Armine Yalnizyan, Senior Associate, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives |
Lars Osberg, Professor of Economics, Dalhousie University |
Michael Lynk, Professor of Law, Western University |
Nathalie Des Rosiers, General Counsel, Canadian Civil Liberties Association |
Paul Champ, Senior Partner, Champ and Associates |
Naveen Mehta, General Counsel, and Director of Human Rights, UFCW Canada |
Paul Cavalluzzo, Senior Partner, Cavalluzzo Shilton McIntyre Cornish LLB |
Steven Barret, Managing Partner, Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP |
Fay Faraday, Founder, Faraday Law, and McMurtry Visiting Fellow, Osgoode Hall Law School |
John Hendy, QC, President, International Centre for Trade Union Rights |
Eric Tucker, Professor of Law, Osgoode Hall Law School |
Anouk Collet, National Representative, UFCW Canada |
Elisabeth Ballermann, President, Health Sciences Association of Alberta |
Ken Georgetti, President, Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) |
FOR MEDIA ACCREDITATION AND TO ARRANGE INTERVIEWS, PLEASE REFER TO THE CONTACT INFORMATION BELOW.
Contact Information:
Michael Luff
Communications Coordinator
(613) 228-9800
mluff@nupge.ca
UFCW Canada
Michael Forman
National Representative
(416) 675-1102 x 2249
mforman@ufcw.ca