Celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day

National Indigenous Peoples Day: CUPE NS calls for action

“Reclaiming Power and Place”, the report on murdered and missing indigenous women and girls, was released in June 2019. The federal government has had nine months to develop a national action plan. They promised this would be in place by June 2020, but they have now delayed the release ostensibly because of the coronavirus pandemic. The government is asking Indigenous women and girls and LGBTQ2+ people to wait. This is unacceptable! The federal government has had nine months to work on this before the pandemic, what has been done? On this the National Indigenous Peoples Day we call on the federal government to commit to releasing the action plan and moving forward with this important piece of reconciliation. In Solidarity, On behalf of the CUPE Nova Scotia Executive Board

Happy Pride Month from CUPE NS

Ensuring the safety, well-being and inclusion of LGBTQ2+ people: CUPE Nova Scotia

PRIDE month is a time to remember the struggle, to celebrate victories and to reaffirm our commitment to solidarity with the LGBTQ2+ community. This global pandemic has certainly impacted how we mark PRIDE month this year. It has also shown us the existing disparities in our LGBTQ2+ communities. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, LGBTQ2+ people are more vulnerable during this pandemic. Please see their report at https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/LGBT/LGBTIpeople.pdf for a list of impacts of COVID-19 and actions governments around the world can take to ensure the safety, well-being and inclusion of LGBTQ2+ people. There are many LGBTQ2+ youth living in non-supportive situations, either with family or room mates. Being locked into your home with those who do not support you, or who are actively hostile, increases stress, potential violence and can have an extreme negative impact on mental and physical health and well being. … Read more…

Nan McFadgen, CUPE NS president

Nan McFadgen: Underfunding brings Nova Scotia’s childcare system to brink of collapse

The following letter to the editor by CUPE NS President Nan McFadgen was published by the Chronicle Herald on June 19, 2020.  The Nova Scotia government announced to the citizens of this province that it would ensure childcare centres and family day homes would be available when the economy was ready to reopen. While this decision may have seemed altruistic, it has become clear to most people that if the premier wanted to reopen the economy, he had no other choice. An economy without quality, public, dependable and affordable childcare is an economy in trouble. Unfortunately, the childcare system we have in Nova Scotia is extremely fragile and poorly funded. In his public briefings, the premier has implied that his government has been providing childcare centres with everything they need to get them through this unprecedented time. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. The premier’s words made families believe that … Read more…