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Andria at Fridays for Future Climate Action Sept 25 2021

strengthened by generations of immigrants over the
decades, as each new wave discovered that in order

to have a fair share of Canada’s prosperity they

helped to create, they needed collective power: a
union to fight for dignity and living wages. From the

beginning, our unions adopted the principle “What

we wish for ourselves, we wish for all.”

This year, I became the first Black woman to lead a
Canadian labour council. Together, we continue to

break new ground in the labour movement.

Q: What is the landscape of the labour movement in

Toronto and York regions currently?
In 1871, a small group of trade unionists came
A: The 220,000 workers we represent belong to
together to found the Toronto Trades Assembly.
dozens of local unions in industries as diverse as
They were barrel-makers, shoemakers, printers,
education, healthcare, construction, media and the
bakers, cigar-makers and metalworkers, and soon
arts, manufacturing, retail, public service, social
joined by other occupations. The first women
services, and more. While not every worker belongs
workers joined in 1882. It was a time of rising
to a union, some of the standards set by the labour
workers across the world.
movement over the last 150 years are to everyone’s

benefit.
This labour movement has been tested and

FEB 2022 | BUSINESS ELITE CANADA 45