From March 30 to April 1, the OFL hosted its first-ever Equity Retreat at the Embassy Suites Niagara Falls. The event was an incredible success and drew over 100 participants from the OFL’s various equity-seeking constituencies, including: Aboriginal Persons, LGBTQ, Persons with Disabilities, Women Workers, Workers of Colour, Workers Under 30 and a number of allies.
The format of the Retreat allowed each committee to meet separately to discuss unique issues and initiatives but it also brought all of the committees together to share common struggles and strategies. The result was an energizing weekend that left participants feeling inspired to name and challenge oppression in government policy, in society and in their own unions.
“We need to break out of our silos and uncover the ways that discrimination and oppression can impact workers across equity groups and constituencies. We can’t afford to ignore the lessons learned by certain groups and accomplishments made by others,” said OFL Executive Vice-President Irwin Nanda. “More importantly, we need to make sure that we are representing the diversity within each equity-seeking group and fighting to build a united response that challenges prejudice, discrimination and oppression in all of its forms – inside and outside the labour movement.”
The OFL’s equity committees have resolved to hold a follow-up Equity Conference from November 9 to 11, 2012 at the same location in Niagara Falls. The theme of the conference will be “We Are Ontario: Putting Equity Ahead of Austerity” and will seek to draw broader participation from affiliates and community allies to meet an ambitious attendance target of 300. Stay tuned to the OFL website for updates and registration information.
