It was a successful 10th anniversary for the Canadian Political Action Symposium. IAM activists from across Canada gathered at the crown jewel of the IAM, the Winpisinger Education and Technology Center in Hollywood, Maryland for the Symposium. By all accounts, it was the best ever!
IAM Canadian General Vice-President David Chartrand underscored the importance of political action, especially in light of the upcoming federal election in 2025. “Engaging our members is crucial because it affects our working lives. This means it affects our families and our home lives.”
Derek Ferguson, IAM Canadian GLR for Political Action, said, “80 IAM political activists from all over Canada gathered at the W3 where we developed and improved our communication strategies and member mobilization plans in the lead up to the 2025 federal election. Together we will make a difference!” Ferguson has held the Canadian Political Action portfolio for five years and has attend every single Symposium.
Facilitators Brent Farrington and Laurie Antonin, from the Canadian Labour Congress, led the two-day training and strategizing. They are also both members of IAM Local 3111CULR. See a short video of Laurie here.
Attendees broke up into mainly regional teams and each team designed their own campaign with members of each team responsible for a variety of functions. The teams designed complete campaigns and their various components – one team even made an Instagram video!
International President, Brian Bryant made a surprise visit to the Symposium to congratulate the Canadians on a successful 10th anniversary and the continuing expansion of their political action training and actions. Bryant also updated members on much of what is going on in the IAM. See a short video here
The first Canadian PAC was initiated by retired General Vice-President Dave Ritchie and then-Political Action Coordinator Gord Falconer in 2014. Gord retired as Chief-of-Staff in December 2023.
Many photos of the Symposium are available on our Flick site.
