A resolution to remove Canadian Locals
from CWA Districts 1 and 7 was passed overwhelmingly,
reports CWA/SCA Canada Director Arnold Amber. With
the Canadian Locals divided between the two districts,
both of which straddled the Canada-U.S. border, the
focus was on American issues and concerns. Now all
Canadian Locals will be contained within one region
north of the border.
This formalizing of the Canadian
Region within CWA "mirrors
the structure within The Newspaper Guild that we've
lived with since 1995," says Amber.
Scott Edmonds, Canada West Vice-President, and Lise
Lareau, national president of the Canadian Media Guild,
both spoke in favour of the resolution. There were
no dissenting voices, says Amber.
CWA/SCA Canada will put forward for the June 2008
convention a proposal to amend the CWA Constitution
to formally recognize the Canadian Region. That will
be followed a year later by a resolution at the 2009
convention to give the Director of CWA/SCA Canada a
seat on the CWA Executive Board.
A constitutional change approved at the TNG sector
conference last week confirms that the director of
CWA/SCA Canada and the two vice-presidents sit on the
TNG Executive Board, with the latter two having a vote.
In return, the TNG president, secretary-treasurer or
a delegate has a voice but no vote at the Canadian
Representative Council.