IAFF Local 237 attends Calgary's IAFF Local 255 Reception with General President Harold Schaitberger & Canadian Director Scott Marks In Calgary May 31st
2010 IAFF Canadian Legislative Conference
April 24 - 28 was the date for the 17th Legislative Conference in Ottawa. Warren Nelson and myself were able to attend, on behalf of our local, and visit our MP and several senators to lobby on five issues that affect firefighters in Canada. This is arguably the most important conference that we attend because it demonstrates, to our lawmakers, that the firefighters in this country are unified and strong. The conference began with several guest speakers from politics, the press, fire service management and the firefighters union.
IAFF President Harold Schaitberger opened the conference stressing the importance of political action as a means to forward proposals and legislation on firefighter issues. Here is a list of some of the items he discussed:
- Introduction of the new secretary - treasurer of the IAFF Thomas H. Miller
- Acknowledgement of Jim Lee's (former Asst. to the General President in Canada) promotion to the IAFF office in Washington.
- Acknowledgement of Scott Marks promotion to the position of Assistant to the General in Canada
- Stressed the importance of political action in achieving goals and firefighter "friendly" legislation. It took a few years for our union to realize this fact but it has produced beneficial dividends since.
- The political arena touches every aspect of our lives. Decisions on taxes, education, health and public safety come from some person in an elected position.
- Our members have placed their trust and their lives in our (union executives) hands - we are not a club or sorority, we are a trade union that works for our members to improve working conditions and lobbying our elected officials to further our agenda is an extremely important part of this.
- Currently we have a record number of Bills and Motions in the House that deal with firefighter issues and now is the time to push our MPs to pass them.
- The IAFF takes a bipartisan approach, which means we do not support one particular party but instead support those MPs, and senators that support our issues.
Some of the other speakers that addressed the delegates were Thomas H. Miller (secretary Treasurer of the IAFF), Elizabeth May (leader of the Green Party), Charlie Angus (NDP - Timmons), Glen Pearson (Liberal MP for London, ON and former firefighter), Dick Harris (PC - Prince George, BC), Jack Layton (leader of the NDP), and Michael Ignatieff (leader of the Liberal party).
All of these speakers were very supportive of our issues. Several of the speakers indicated the importance of continually reminding the MPs to ensure our issues remain in the forefront. Rob Symons, fire chief for St. John, NB fire department explained that the Fire Chiefs of Canada have similar interests with the IAFF and even share 3 common proposals, namely: establishment of a national office for fire statistics, placing firefighters as a tier 1 recipient for vaccines in the event of a pandemic, and ensuring firefighter safety is reflected in the national building codes. Chief Symons states that the chiefs association supports our other issues but they do not have specific written policies.
Craig Oliver and Jane Taber (CTVs 'Question Period') gave a political commentary of the current state of government and the issues affecting the current political landscape. They covered the Afghanistan mission, the Guergis/ Jaffer affair, leadership capacities of Harper, Layton and Ignatieff and when the next federal election will be held. Both of these speakers were surprisingly entertaining and gave a unique perspective of the 'goings on' in parliament.
The 5 proposals that the IAFF is requesting support for are as follows:
1. The institution of a Public Safety Officer Compensation (PSOC) benefit for the families of firefighters killed in the line of duty...
2. The need to establish a national office for fire service statistics
3. Priority access to vaccines and antivirals for firefighters during an influenza pandemic
4. The need to recognize firefighter safety as a core requirement in the National Building Code of Canada
5. The need for third-party investigations for firefighter line of duty deaths
Here is the website for more details regarding these issues. I encourage you all to read the information so you can better understand the issues and realize what the IAFF is doing for you and all firefighters across Canada. This is what your union dues support... http://www.iaff.org/Canada/FactSheets/index.htm
On Tuesday morning our first meeting was with our Member of Parliament Rick Casson. Mr. Casson has been a supporter of our service for many years and his voting record has proven that. He believes the issues we have brought forward are well supported and has promised to contact the Health Minister and Minister of Public Safety in support of our issues. It is our hope that when Mr. Casson retires from his position the new member will be as supportive of our issues as Mr. Casson has.
We were able to meet with Senator Joyce Fairbairn in her office in Centre Block, right beside the Peace Tower, on Parliament Hill. Senator Fairbairn has also been a long time supporter of our issues and showed some annoyance that we have not been able to establish the Public Safety Officer Compensation benefit yet. She is on a committee that has some influence in regards to issues with building codes and has stated she will be contacting the IAFF to present our case in front of that committee.
Our final meeting was with Senator Bert Brown who is the only elected senator in the senate at this time. Senator Brown was supportive of most of our issues. He was surprised that there was no national database for fire statistics and could understand the principle behind acknowledging firefighter safety in the national building code.
Overall the meetings were very positive and will hopefully produce fruit in the near future.
The IAFF has a reputation of preparing the most concise briefs and possessing the best lobbyists on Parliament Hill. The evening reception that the IAFF host is also known as the preeminent event for MPs and senators to attend. The reception was well attended and representatives from all political parties, the senate and the media were present. The networking that takes place during this event can be invaluable in developing relationships and furthering our proposals.
It was an honour for Warren and myself to attend this important conference in Ottawa and represent our membership. Nothing happens fast in Ottawa but every time we go and place our issues in the limelight the government takes notice and it moves our issues higher on the political agenda. What we do today should positively affect those who come in the future.
Dana Terry
Treasurer
Lethbridge Firefighters Local 237
Lethbridge Fire Medics
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Lethbridge Fire Medics Video
IAFF Local 237 Attends Walk for Kids Help Phone May 2, 2010
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