Council of Canadians Hamilton chapter activist Ann Bruce passed away this Saturday June 21. She was 38 years old.
The Hamilton chapter writes, “Ann was highly respected and appreciated for her many talents, leadership and activism in the Hamilton Chapter. She will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.”
Kathie Clark, the chair of the Hamilton chapter, notes, “For those of you who may not have known Ann, she was a very talented and active member since we reactivated the Chapter three years ago. She was the first Co-Chair of the Great Lakes and Water Group with Peter Ormond and then became Co-Chair of the Trade Justice Group with Juby Lee. She was also a member of the Steering Committee. She had a persistently positive and inspiring attitude toward her determined fight with cancer. Ann will be missed by her many friends and colleagues in the CoC Chapter.”
Political team administrative assistant Philippe Charbonneau says, “I remember exchanging many emails with her last year on trade and also in preparation for the annual general meeting in Saskatoon that she attended. She seemed always cheerful, polite and very knowledgeable.”
In November 2012, Ann was extensively quoted in a CBC news article on the Canada-EU ‘free trade’ agreement. She said, “For us to include water in a trade agreement is extremely unsettling. It shouldn’t be traded for private gain and has to be protected for the common good. No one owns water.” And in late January 2014, Ann organized a march to mark the 20th anniversary of NAFTA. The Hamilton Spectator reported Bruce saying, “We’re grieving the loss of manufacturing jobs in this city, other economic losses but also the loss of Canadian values. It hasn’t been the great trade deal it was touted to be.”
Ann’s obituary can be read here.
We extend our condolences to Ann’s family, friends and chapter colleagues.
Photo: Ann at NAFTA protest, January 2014.
