Ottawa – At its Annual Members Meeting this past weekend, the membership of the Council of Canadians elected John Cartwright, longtime Labour Leader and current President of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, as its new Chairperson.
Through his activism spanning decades, Cartwright has helped champion better public transit, water protection, and campaigned to defend vital public services in Toronto and across the country.
He looks forward to his new leadership role within the Council of Canadians.
“This is a time for renewal. A time to re-energize our movement for a better Canada,” said Cartwright. “As we look towards the 35th anniversary year of the Council of Canadians, we turn our attention to broadening and strengthening the impact of our organization to address the pressing issues of our time. We will push for immediate and urgent action on the climate crisis, fight to uphold democracy, and challenge the increasing power of corporations here in Canada and around the world.”
Maude Barlow, founder of the Council of Canadians, who remains the organization’s Honorary Chairperson, extended the appreciation of the entire Council of Canadians organization to outgoing Board members, At the meeting, Council members elected a slate of new Board representatives, providing new voices from coast-to-coast-to-coast to enhance and guide the Council ‘s work.
The volunteer Board is composed of a purposeful mix of people who are committed to the protection of the commons, Mother Earth and acting for social justice. Along with Chapter activists, Board members include Indigenous, labour, environmental, student and human rights activists. The full list of the Council of Canadians Board of Directors is available on our website.
