The Broadbent Institute is a non-partisan Canadian social democratic think-tank founded by Ed Broadbent in 2011. It produces research, convenes progressive dialogues, and trains organizations to advance social justice and equality.
Every year, the Broadbent Institute hosts a Progress Summit for progressive activists, democratic institutions, and labour leaders to come together, share ideas, and find solutions on emerging issues. PIPSC was invited to attend this year’s Progress Summit to share a labour perspective. Several PIPSC board members and staff attended. As Vice-President, this is my report on what we learned.
Trade policy and working people
On Wednesday afternoon, there was a workshop, including several panels, discussing green policy and trade, which explored how green policy is the solution to today’s climate emergency and trade war. The conference officially opened the following morning with inspiring words from elder Claudette Commanda.
The first panel on Thursday was hosted by Broadbent Institute chair, Brian Topp, and focused on the future of trade policy in a way that protects Canadian jobs and reduces reliance in the USA. The panelists, including Biden administration trade advisor Beth Baltzan, and Canada’s former chief trade negotiator Steve Verheul, offered hope that Canada will emerge from this contentious period of trade if the future of trade includes progressive trade policy that is grounded in economic security for working people.
Low labour and environmental standards should not create a competitive advantage through lower cost goods and trade policy needs to address this disparity. The panelists also indicated that trade policy must not exist in a silo, but must work with domestic policy to ensure a just distribution of benefits to prevent the rise of inequality.
Improving public services and defending healthcare
Thursday afternoon included a keynote address from Matthias Ecke, a Member of European Parliament, who shared how setting and increasing minimum wages, improving public services such as healthcare, and investing in public transit are the keys to a just democratic society for working class people. Mr. Ecke also shared that the EU’s perception of Canada has drastically changed for the better over the last several months as we navigate the tariff wars.
The final Thursday panel was on the topic of defending healthcare through crisis, where we heard from medical professionals and healthcare union leaders. The panelists shared how rising costs include healthcare costs, which leads to stress on healthcare workers and affects how they show up to work. The panelists stressed the need to support healthcare workers to keep them healthy so that they can continue to provide that support to others.
Several solutions to ongoing issues, such as improving the pathway for internationally accredited nurses to join the Canadian workforce, the introduction of a Patient Safety Act, and an improved healthcare worker retention plan were discussed. The new government was urged to see carework as nation building work and to invest accordingly.
On immigration and shifting attitudes
The final day of the summit started with a presentation on polling data and a panel discussion on shifting attitudes amongst Canadians with regards to immigration. The presentation indicated that while Canadians generally view immigration more positively than negatively, this perception is strongly influenced by the lack of affordable housing and public service strain.
Union members tend to be more sympathetic towards immigration and have more positive perceptions. The panelists pointed out the colonial undertones in Canada’s approach to immigration, as highlighted by the temporary foreign worker program, and advocated for the need of reform, not restriction, with the system.
Closing on a hopeful note — organizing matters
The summit closed with a keynote address by Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union. Ms. Gates shared the historical context of racism and segregation in the Chicago school system that lingers to this day.
She shared a story highlighting the power of unity and collective action following the 2015 closure of Walter H Dyett High School, in Chicago’s south side, which was deliberately underfunded due to racist policies. A group of concerned parents and activists, who recognized the importance of retaining a local school in the community, undertook a 34-day hunger strike to protest the closure of the school.
Because of their collective effort, this group of activists were not only successful in reopening the school, but also in securing a $14 million investment to transform the school into an arts-focused educational institution. Ms. Gates stressed that in order to have possibility, you need to do work, and organizing is at the center of this work.
Final thoughts
Overall, the Progress Summit offered a valuable and motivating experience to our PIPSC delegation. It provided us the opportunity to hear from our counterparts in other labour sectors on how they are responding to current crises brought upon by tariffs and economic uncertainty. We were also presented with ideas for building unity and hope in these uncertain times. I look forward to putting the lessons learned into practice here at PIPSC.
Katie Francis, PIPSC Vice-President