March 22 is World Water Day – a day to highlight the vital importance of water for human life and ecological health and, as such, the need to protect water resources from pollution, privatization, and commercialization. The United Nations General Assembly recognized water and sanitation as fundamental human rights in 2010. These human rights to safe, reliable water and wastewater are being denied to many Indigenous communities in Canada. Water services and resources are also under growing pressure to privatize.

CUPE’s Water is life campaign raises awareness about the ongoing struggles of Indigenous peoples, and shows how CUPE members can listen, learn, and act. Colonization continues to have devastating effects on Indigenous communities. Access to water and sanitation are human rights according to international law, yet many Indigenous communities in Canada have water that’s unsafe to drink or wash with. Some communities have lived with unsafe water for decades. Other First Nations don’t have any functioning water system at all.

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On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we recognize the contributions of our Black, Indigenous, and racialized members, who break down barriers every day. You too can help put CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy into action.

CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy identifies actions to challenge systemic racism in our workplaces, union, and communities. It acknowledges that our union and locals must work towards meaningful and attainable change for Black, Indigenous and racialized members, including those with intersecting identities.

• Read CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy. The strategy’s 10 goals focus on recommendations to challenge systemic racism.

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If Scott Moe won’t do his job, it’s time for him to find a new one

Today’s provincial budget failed to invest in fixing Saskatchewan public services, the health care crisis or our broken education system. After over a decade of privatization and cuts to public services, Scott Moe has shown Saskatchewan people he does not care about workers and is not fit for the top job.

“Budgets are about choices, and Scott Moe has again shown us that he does not value Saskatchewan’s public services and the working people that deliver them,” said Kent Peterson, president of CUPE Saskatchewan. “Year after year he makes budget promises to Saskatchewan people he has no intention to keep. It’s crystal clear, Scott Moe can’t be trusted.”

Today’s provincial budget failed to make concrete investments to address class size and complexity or add capacity to Saskatchewan’s overwhelmed long-term care system. The promised health care investments are meaningless without a plan to increase staffing levels and retain the health care workers in the existing workforce. The provincial budget also failed to invest in public services that have suffered from years of cuts and privatization.

• Watch CUPE Saskatchewan President Kent Peterson’s response.

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This week, Scott Moe’s Sask. Party government will unveil their last provincial
budget before the general election and CUPE is calling for a budget that is focused on
Saskatchewan workers.

“This budget needs a plan to create good jobs, bigger paycheques, to protect public
services, fix the health care crisis and clean up the mess in education,” said Kent
Peterson, president of CUPE Saskatchewan. “Failing to do so sends a clear message –
Scott Moe doesn’t care about workers and needs to be fired.”

The 31,000 members of CUPE Saskatchewan who deliver public services in the health
care, education, and municipal sectors often bear the consequences of Scott Moe’s cuts and privatization. Years of underfunding education, mismanaging our health care
system and cost-downloading to other levels of government have worsened working
conditions for CUPE members and weakened public services Saskatchewan people
rely on.

“Our members are the backbone of our province and deserve a budget that invests in
them and the public services they deliver, added Peterson. “Workers are ready to
mobilize for change in the upcoming school board, municipal, and provincial elections.
They are done settling for less.”

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With over 30 years of activism, Omar Murray was recognized with the CUPE Saskatchewan Award for Union Activism on the closing day of convention in Saskatoon.

Omar Murray began his union activism when he organized the Maple Creek bus drivers and became the founding president of CUPE Local 4754; a leadership role he continues today. CUPE Local 4754 represents educational support staff, including school-based support, facility maintenance, bus drivers, and technological information staff at the Chinook School Division. Omar has also been instrumental in organizing several other locals of education support workers in the southwestern corner of Saskatchewan.

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CUPE national president Mark Hancock poses with prize winners Connie Doge of CUPE 1975 & Heather Richinski, the Executive assistant serving local 1975.

The national president Mark Hancock and national secretary treasurer Candace Rennick took the stage on the last morning of the CUPE Saskatchewan convention to celebrate the good work delegates accomplished, and to set the tone for the union’s next steps. Among the jovial atmosphere and prizes, their message to the gathered activists was clear – if we want to protect our rights as union activists, we must get political.

Both Candace and Mark stressed the dangers of conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who is making in-roads with working people with his misleading rhetoric about issues which speak to us. Poilievre tries to appeal to working people by talking about “parent’s rights,” which he uses as a code to hide his bigoted attacks on human rights. “Our rights weren’t given to us, we had to fight for them, and they can be taken away with the swipe of a pen.,” said Rennick. “If Pierre Poilievre cared about mothers’ rights, he wouldn’t have voted against child care.”

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Today, Opposition Leader Carla Beck brought a keynote address to the CUPE Saskatchewan convention where delegates voted to formally endorse her and the Saskatchewan NDP in the next election and make her the first woman Premier in Saskatchewan’s history.

“Carla Beck brought energy to our convention and a welcome commitment to fight for Saskatchewan public services,” said Kent Peterson, elected president of CUPE Saskatchewan. “People are tired of Scott Moe cutting and selling off the public services they rely on.”

At CUPE Saskatchewan’s 2024 convention, members passed a resolution to support Carla Beck and the Saskatchewan NDP in the coming election and a motion to “reaffirm its affiliation to the Saskatchewan NDP” for the coming fiscal year.

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The Saskatoon District Labour Council President and CUPE member Don MacDonald took to the convention stage to welcome CUPE Saskatchewan 2024 delegates to the city. MacDonald shared the work that SDLC affiliates, including several CUPE locals have been doing to help the build community in Saskatoon.

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The delegates gathered in Saskatoon for CUPE Saskatchewan’s convention heard about the importance of political action for union members from three of CUPE’s best. Nathaniel Teed, a CUPE member now serving as NDP MLA, Cara Stelmaschuk, the recording secretary from CUPE 882, and Gina McKay, the President of CUPE Manitoba, shared their experiences and took questions from the floor.

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National Secretary Treasurer Candace Renick gave her report to delegates in Saskatoon today. She delivered the good news that CUPE was growing, hiring more staff to support our growing membership base both at work, and in their communities. New permanent staff are being hired across the country, including here in Saskatchewan, to help advance the strategic directions outlined by members at the national convention in Quebec 2023.

Rennick then turned to politics, reminding delegates that the austerity of Scott Moe, and other Conservative politicians, always hurts workers. She stressed the importance of working together, challenging conservative rhetoric, and get organize to fight the right.

“This isn’t time for us to duck and hope for the best; this is the time to bolster the courage of our members, to raise expectations, to help members fight back, and to organize them for action.”

She reaffirmed the national union’s commitment to support CUPE Saskatchewan members as they organize to take their province back.

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