The leaders of UFCW Canada’s four local unions in Sas­katchewan recently came together in Saskatoon to establish the province’s first Community Action Network (CAN), which is committed to looking for and creating opportuni­ties for the union to build stronger relationships with mem­bers and their communities.

“The birthplaces, backgrounds, and experiences of Sas­katchewan’s workers are becoming more and more diverse,” says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. “As Saskatchewan’s largest private-sector union, UFCW Canada has a responsibility to take a leading role in making sure unions are seen by workers as a reflection of themselves and their issues, and that’s what the CAN program is all about.”

UFCW Canada Local 1118 President Albert Johnson (seen speaking in top photo) from Alberta participated in the meeting and spoke about how his local union’s commit­ment to helping temporary foreign workers in that province has achieved a more just and stable connection to Canada for them through the collective bargaining strategies that compel employers to fully engage in the provincial nominees process.

Naveen Mehta, UFCW Canada’s director of Human Rights, Equity & Diversity, and Nancy Quiring, UFCW Canada regional director for the Western provinces, also contributed to the discussion and talked about similar efforts in other parts of the country.

The combined community outreach efforts of the union’s Saskatchewan Provincial Council make UFCW Canada Locals 248P, 342P, 649, and 1400 the latest members of the UFCW Canada family to join the CAN initiative since it was endorsed as a key part of the union’s strategy for the future at the 2007 National Council convention in Toronto.