October 2016

Labour day a work of love and education.

This year’s Labour Day parade and picnic was one of the best I can remember: great weather, good overall turnout, and a happy, supportive mood.

ACTRA’s participation was a little smaller than last year’s, with some of our stalwarts out of town, and others perhaps deciding to take that one last trip to the lake, or even better, being on set. Other unions picked up the slack, and I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to chat with our brothers and sisters in IATSE. If you are one of those who came out to support the labour movement, thank you. Events like these reinforce the standing of the labour movement in the halls of power, and for the next four years, I suspect that we will need all the reinforcement we can get. (“We” meaning the labour movement in general; so far it seems that the film and television industries are on the sunny side of the government gaze.)

The parade wound from Memorial Park to Central Park, where a huge crown gathered to enjoy a picnic. The food line-up was enormous, so I was very happy when Tyndall Park MLA Ted Marcelino bought ice cream for all the ACTRA members present. The vendor told me later that he had opposed Marcelino in the previous election as the Manitoba Party representative. The picnic was a happy community event, with live entertainment and lots of activities for the children.

Next year I hope that we will have a higher turnout from our membership. The labour movement is important, and has been one of the strongest forces for improvement of our lives. I realized just how important this movement is when I asked a younger member to carry a sign supporting the CPP, and he asked what the CPP is. Labour Day is a fun, non-threatening way of getting our message out. The more of us who participate, the stronger that message is.

Kevin Longfield, Political action committee.

From Left: Kevin Longfeild, Gord Tanner, Nazariy Demkowicz, Megan McArton, Jim Kirby, Dale Stanley, Jim Bell. Photo Credits: Alan Wong