Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Gala – Report
Andrew Maize, NSCAD CUPE 3912, Bargaining Committee
I attended the CCPA Gala on November 6th as a delegate for CUPE 3912. I took a cab over to the event with my driver Muhammad. It being 5:30, we leapt into discussion around the everyone second favourite conversation topic – Halifax Traffic. He told me some nightmarish and frustrating scenarios – and we agreed that it appears that the the city has no plan, and that the proposed band-aid solutions (removing bike lanes WTF? and removing trees and houses on Robie were not only insulting but useless. We discussed mass-transit options and limiting private vehicle traffic on the peninsula. We caught the rising of the near full beaver moon while crossing the new bridge.
In the beer line, I spoke with two members of the Faculty Union at Saint Mary’s University, and they spoke of solidarity with the then striking members of our local. I sat at the table with other CUPE members, including the President of CUPE Nova Scotia. I introduced myself and everyone was pleasant. I learned about how my fellow members got into working with the union (a free meal was a common thread). I learned how busy everyone has been with all of the strikes going on. We were seated in the front row, and I realized that we were head table once we got called to the buffet FIRST! The menu was tuscan chicken, a nice sauce, with rice (or was it potato?), veggies and a roll with butter. There were two types of salad, once with goat cheese, and the other a caesar with bacon on the side. For dessert there we cookies and baked goods.
We heard from all of the important projects and undertakings by Christine Saulnier, Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Nova Scotia. She spoke about their policy research initiatives on housing, childcare, and advocacy for living wages standards for works in the maritimes. The main speaker at the event was Leilani Farha, from her online bio “the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing and Global Director of The Shift. Her work is animated by the principle that housing is a social good, not a commodity. Leilani has helped develop global human rights standards on the right to housing, including through her topical reports on homelessness, the financialization of housing, informal settlements, rights-based housing strategies, and the first UN Guidelines for the implementation of the right to housing. She is the central character in the documentary PUSH regarding the financialization of housing, screening around the world. Leilani Launched The Shift in 2017 with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and United Cities and Local Government.” The format of the talk was an Q and A with a journalist, but unfortunately was only about 20mins long, and the questions were surface level and didn’t really go very deep into things. This was a shame because Farha is a deeply knowledgable researcher on the housing crisis, and I think would have had much more to offer on such a important matter.
The event was an great introduction to her work and I look forward to learning more about these initiatives. My participation also introduced me to other Union and progressive organizations such as Fernwood Publishing, which I learned a lot about in the evening. Overall, my participation allowed me to represent CUPE 3912 at a very visible event, and meet lots of people in the community. These conversations and relationship will continue to benefit us as we work towards our first collective agreement with NSCAD.
Thanks for reading.