Unifor delegates re-elected Lana Payne as national president on Aug. 27 at the union’s constitutional convention in Vancouver, a result Payne said would fuel continued efforts to defend jobs and worker rights across Canada, according to Unifor. “It’s been an honour and a great privilege to be your National President. My honour today has grown three-fold,” Payne said in her acceptance speech.
Payne won “by a landslide,” according to Unifor. She told delegates: “We have workers to defend, jobs to protect and a country and economy to get on track. And this country needs us. Canada needs this union. It needs the progressive force that we are.”
Payne was first elected in 2022 in Toronto as the union’s first woman national president, Unifor said.
Unifor said delegates also returned the national leadership team to office. Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier was acclaimed for a second term earlier this year at Unifor’s Quebec Council, the union said. Payne added: “We are a union. That means it takes all of us. We inspire each other. We stand up for each other. We show up for each other.”
National officers
- National secretary-treasurer: Len Poirier
- Western regional director: Gavin McGarrigle
- Ontario regional director: Samia Hashi
- Atlantic regional director: Jennifer Murray
- Quebec director (acclaimed): Daniel Cloutier
Unifor describes itself as Canada’s largest private-sector union, representing 320,000 workers across major sectors of the economy. “When I say there is no labour peace if you attack our rights, I mean there will be no labour peace. And when I say we must protect Canadian jobs with everything we have, I mean exactly that,” Payne said.
