(The following article is from the June 16-30, 2008, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

By Sam Hammond, Chair of the Central Trade Union Commission, Communist Party of Canada

The 25th Convention of the Canadian Labour Congress took place in Toronto from May 26 to 30, with 1800 delegates representing 54 affiliates. Although the Congress has 55 affiliates, 400 NUPGE delegates could not be seated due to the withholding of a $20,000 dues from Manitoba, because of the CLC's inability to discipline/prevent a raid by another affiliate, the Teamsters, on a casino. The issue of raiding was to resurface a few times.

     This Convention followed the 2005 attempt by Carol Wall to oust Ken Georgetti from his presidential roost. Despite resistance from virtually all leaders of large affiliates, being shut out of presenting to major caucuses and no candidate debate, Carol Wall garnered 38% of votes last time. This was an accurate measure of rank and file unrest and support for her program of democratic reforms and re-establishment of organic ties to the social justice movement. It should have been heeded. It wasn't.

     The lack of response to the ripples of unrest actually set the tone for this convention. In his opening speech, Ken Georgetti stated, "In our last Convention unions challenged the CLC to do it more and to do it better than ever before. And I'm proud to say we have delivered."

     The "it" is undefined, so one could assume from this statement that delegates just wanted more of the same, only more. This certainly was not the case with 38%, and questioned by even more. Unfortunately, at this Convention they got more of the same old same old. More and lengthier musical and cultural presentations, more guest appearances, more of everything but business and debate. Less time for resolutions, less time for debate and certainly less accommodation to rank and file participation. This was brought up at all the left caucuses, the youth caucus, the Action Caucus and the Socialist Forum.

     The caucuses and the forums were actually the highlight of the Convention, developing more every day as the vehicles of democratic expression and debate. There were many expressions of disappointment, especially from the 200 or so first time delegates, most of whom were young.

     This was the most managed CLC Convention ever. Staff reps from most unions shadowed the con mikes to intercept dissent and remind delegates that union policy and union caucuses must be obeyed, leaving many delegates feeling like rubber stamps or rubber mats. This channelling of delegate expression expresses more than anything the insecurity of some trade union leaders who are very uncomfortable with open debate and democratic expression.

     A large, well designed program/poster was distributed by a group of Ontario unions on the floor, calling themselves "Action for a Change". This was not signed, and the unions involved - CUPE, Steel, SEIU and others - were not identified on the poster. But they advanced a loose program that in general wanted more militancy and accountability, a more programmatic approach to fight back on NAFTA, opposition to privatization, prevention of raiding, less collusion with employers, and stronger ties with people's movements.

     "Our ACTION FOR A CHANGE proposals," said the poster, "are all about making the Canadian Labour Congress into something we need it to be again - the strong and clear collective voice of all working people in Canada." Formulated by about ten Ontario union leaders, the broadsheet represents those unions which made a voluntary anti-raiding agreement among themselves and formulated their dissatisfaction.

     They were not passive. Sid Ryan, leader of CUPE Ontario, attended the Action Caucus meeting on behalf of the Action For Change unions. Ryan explained discussions with CLC leadership that led to improvements in the previously bland Document 12, which in a very top-down typical manner recommended a Commission on Structural Review established by the Executive Committee and Executive Council, to review central Labour bodies and their relationships and financing, consult with affiliates and Labour councils, and propose an implementation plan to be presented to the next Convention.

     The Action For Change unions were able to win instructions to include constitutional recommendations on raiding and rogue unions, and more meaningful inclusion of labour councils on the review commission. Several prominent Ontario leaders, including Ryan, made contributions on the pro mikes during the Structural Review debate, but expressed strong opposition to raiding. Meanwhile, labour council officers dominated the con mikes, expressing their dissatisfaction with the Congress and its treatment of labour councils. The paper was passed, but the debate, both pro and con, should be taken as instruction to the CLC leadership for more democracy, more support for labour councils and more leadership on social issues and struggle.

     The Toronto and York Region Labour Council also had a program, "Action Agenda - Building Labour Power in the 21st Century." This action agenda presented eleven resolutions supported by several labour Councils across the country. Most were incorporated into composite resolutions on organizing, a campaign to win "card-check", migrant and temporary workers, equity and municipal politics. The resolutions strengthened the resulting composites and again reflect the ground zero push for democracy and action and accountability from the CLC leadership.

     There were excellent resolutions on Afghanistan, Palestine, Columbia and other international solidarity issues. A very significant resolution on the nationalization of oil resources passed enthusiastically, supported by prominent spokespersons from major affiliates including Jim Sinclair from the BC Federation of Labour. On the last day of the Convention, the Action Caucus, which met and grew every day, made significant additions to the CLC Action Plan on the issues of labour unity, the right to strike, labour democracy, and leadership accountability.

     Dave Pritchett, from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 500, spoke eloquently on the need to remember, along with others, the contributions by members of the Communist Party as founders and fighters for labour. Later he brought the house down with his suggestion to replace "lobby the government..." by "bring down the government...", and to replace "dictatorship of the corporations" with "dictatorship of the working class." The massive enthusiasm for these sentiments not only shows the combative nature of working people, but also demonstrates their uneasiness with a Congress leadership which is not reflecting these sentiments.

     The mood in the caucuses and in the two "Action Programs" are a reflection that the undercurrent of unrest is beginning to be articulated. The Action Caucus contribution points to the potential of a bigger and growing left, the necessary ingredient for change. Well known leaders are giving expression to the need for change, unity and fightback, which bodes well for the unity and support between rank and file and leadership that is so necessary in struggle.

     This may have been a lacklustre Convention in many ways, but the emerging left is beginning to develop in program and numbers.