Hello members of Local 5524,
We hope you are well. Please find below a number of updates regarding the upcoming federal election. This comes as an imperative from a vote that took place at our most recent General Members’ Meeting on April 1, 2025.
CUPE has a long history with politics and Canadian elections, and this election is no different. CUPE National has launched the CUPE Votes campaign, where it has officially endorsed the NDP and stands against Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives. CUPE National stands for workers’ rights, public services, pharmacare, and federal anti-scab legislation (amongst other principles).
CUPE Local 5524 firmly believes that to vote is a freedom of thought and speech, as well as a right. Everyone should be given the option to independently be able to make an informed decision in this upcoming election, and CUPE5524 encourages this.
As this election approaches, we would like to announce that, as a result of the vote at the most recent GMM, CUPE5524 has officially endorsed the Palestine Platform. This platform is outlined in votepalestine.ca and below in brief:
- That a two-way arms embargo on Israel be imposed,
- That Canada end all involvement in illegal Israeli settlements,
- That Anti-Palestine racism be addressed and that freedom of expression on Palestine be protected,
- That Canada recognizes the State of Palestine, and
- That protection and funding for Gaza relief efforts be provided.
Furthermore, the Palestine Platform has provided a list of all MPs or Candidates who have endorsed it already, which can be found here. In the electoral district of Waterloo, where the University of Waterloo is located, the candidate for the New Democratic Party, Héline Chow, and the candidate for the Green Party of Canada, Simon Guthrie, have so far endorsed the platform.
In preparing for this election, CUPE5524 officially encourages everyone to engage with your MPs and local candidates, and ask them to publicly state their views in regards to Palestine, and to ask for their support in regards to the Palestine Platform. If you wish to support the platform as well, and potentially pledge to not support candidates who don’t stand up for Palestine, you can do so on their website.
If you have any questions about the votes that took place at the April GMM, please do not hesitate to reach out. Minutes from this meeting will be available shortly, and will be attached to notice for the next GMM (tentatively set for Tuesday May 20, 2025, 5-7 PM).
For more resources on the voting process in this upcoming election, you can visit elections.ca. You can vote today at any Elections Canada office until 6 PM, or on Election Day (April 28) at your assigned polling station.
In Solidarity,
