Today, members of the Union of National Employees took part in a rally against austerity in Ottawa. The rally drew more than 1500 of activists; many of whom were UNE members from all over Canada who were in Ottawa attending the PSAC National Triennial Convention.
“We are here to give a clear message,” said Larry Rousseau, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President of the National Capital Region, “when you mess with public services – when you destroy public services – you destroy Canada.
One thing is for sure: our members were very energized by the rally. “I thought it was great,” said Mike LeBlanc, the Assistant Regional Vice-President for the Atlantic (N.B.). “We need more and more of these and all over the country.”
Many other social justice activist groups attended. Among the organizations, there were activists from ACORN Canada, a group that seeks to empower low and moderate income families. Also spotted among the crowd were Bridget Tolley and Kristen Gilchrist who are volunteers for Families of Sisters and Spirit; an organization that seeks justice for murdered and missing native women in Canada.
We have TONS of pictures of the rally. Go check them out on our Flickr page!