Teamsters Canada maintains a presence on the Hill actively pursuing those interests that benefit our Membership, and we thought you might be interested to see what one day’s work on the Hill can look like.  

One interesting outcome of last year’s elections was the election of Don Davies MP, NDP Vancouver-Kingsway.  Don is a Teamster out of Local Union 31 and he is a great addition to the House of Commons.  Our lobbyist Phil Benson met with Don to discuss transportation issues, especially the Pacific Gateway.  Don is not the only Davies in the House of Commons, and Phil met with Libby Davies MP, NDP Vancouver-East, to discuss needed changes to the Employment Insurance system.  Extending the length of benefits helps, but Ms. Davies couldn’t agree more that easing restrictions for unemployed workers to have access to EI is the way to go.

Jim Karygiannis MP, Liberal Scarborough-Agincourt, is an honourary member of Teamster Local Union 938 and can always be counted on to stand up for workers.  During a meeting we discussed immigration issues and really focused on the need to strengthen control on the use of Temporary Worker permits.  

Wayne Easter MP, Liberal Malpeque, is the Agriculture Critic, and he shared his insights into the decline of the family farm and the unbelievable debt being carried by farmers.  We discussed Teamsters participation in the agricultural, dairy, food processing and transport industry, and the importance of a viable agricultural industry for the transportation industry.  If farmers don’t grow produce, then we can’t ship it by road and rail.

Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal Newton-North Delta, sits on the Transport Committee and expresses great interest in not only the Committee’s work, but in all matters dealing with Transportation.  Sukh discussed the importance of removing bottlenecks in transportation and is looking for Teamster Canada input into finding solutions for transportation problems on the West Coast.

Later in the day Teamsters Canada appeared before the House Committee on Transportation making our submission on the Bill.  Well before the hearing we met with Brian Jean MP, Conservative Fort McMurray and Parliamentary Secretary of Transport, as well as Jeff Watson MP, Conservative Essex, to discuss the Bill, and it appears that the work was well received.   

Not all days are as busy, but every day Teamsters Canada participates in committees and meets with politicians and bureaucrats in order to further our Member’s interests in Ottawa and right across the country.


The Teamsters Union represents 125,000 members in Canada in all trades. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with which Teamsters Canada is affiliated, has 1.4 million members in North America.

Information:
Stéphane Lacroix, Director of Communications, Teamsters Canada
514-609-5101