In three weeks the Council of Canadians is holding the political event of the season in St. John’s – GROUNDSWELL 2016: Toward a Healthy Economy for People and the Planet. The conference will bring people together from coast to coast to coast to address the challenges of government cutbacks, climate change and economic inequality, in a world where corporations have more power than people. The full agenda is available here.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
- Maude Barlow (National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians)
- Avi Lewis (award-winning Canadian documentary filmmaker and television journalist)
- José Bové (French farmer, activist, spokesman for Via Campesina, and Member of European Parliament)
- Elizabeth Penashue (Innu Elder, environmentalist and Indigenous rights activist)
- Greg Malone (actor and activist known for wicked impersonations of political icons).
WHEN & WHERE: October 14-16, The Sheraton Hotel, 115 Cavendish Square, St. John’s, NL
WHY:
Newfoundland and Labrador is on the front lines of opposition to public service cuts. Groundswell 2016 will help build on that momentum to protect the environment, public services, Indigenous rights, jobs and democracy. Participants will come together to share ideas, make connections and take action for a brighter future.
The Council of Canadians’ National Chairperson, Maude Barlow, will also be launching her new book Boiling Point: Government Neglect, Corporate Abuse, and Canada’s Water Crisis (ECW Press, September 2016) at the conference, as part of a 14-city coast-to-coast tour.
REGISTRATION: Journalists are requested to register upon arrival at the conference. There is no media registration fee. Information on conference fees for the general public is available at: canadians.org/conference.
SPONSORS: The conference is sponsored by Unifor, Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE), Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation, PSAC Atlantic, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Union of Postal Communications Employees (UPCE), the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), CFS Local 35 – MUN Student Union (MUNSU), the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, Canadian Region of the Communications Workers of America (CWA/SCA Canada), the City of St. John’s, the Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association (MUNFA), the National Pensioners Federation (NPF), the Newfoundland & Labrador Public Sector Pensioners’ Association (NLPSPA), and Development and Peace.
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