Canada: BC Federation of Labour Endorses Hands Off Venezuela

12 December 2008
HOV Canada
On Friday November 28th 1200 trade unionists at the BC Federation of Labour convention voted unanimously to endorse the Hands Off Venezuela Campaign.  The Federation represents 450,000 union members in British Columbia.  This victory for the Venezuelan solidarity movement came after years of patient work with and within the labour movement. On Friday November 28th 1200 trade unionists at the BC Federation of Labour convention voted unanimously to endorse the Hands Off Venezuela Campaign.  The Federation represents 450,000 union members in British Columbia.  This victory for the Venezuelan solidarity movement came after years of patient work with and within the labour movement.

Three speakers spoke in favour of the resolution.  Mike Palecek from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers spelled out some of the advances made by the Venezuelan masses and spoke of the importance of building solidarity with the revolution.  Roger Annis spoke of the importance of the Chavez government in the region and in Bolivia in particular.  And finally Kevin Bell, from the Retail Wholesale Union talked about the important lessons the Canadian labour movement can learn from the Venezuelan revolution.

All of this came on the final day of a convention that marked a sharp turn to the left for the labour movement in British Columbia.  The economic crisis is having a deep impact on the consciousness of the rank and file.  Important labour leaders, such as Jim Sinclair, President of the BC Fed actually called for an end to capitalism – something that would have been unthinkable only a few months ago.  The Federation also unanimously passed a resolution calling for the nationalization of the oil industry, inspired largely by the Venezuelan revolution.

BECAUSE Venezuela is playing a key role in the struggle for national sovereignty and control of national resources in South America; and

BECAUSE President Hugo Chavez may well be the most democratically elected leader in the world having won no less than nine electoral contests during the past six years; and

BECAUSE the United States has chosen to treat the legitimate national aspirations of the people of Venezuela as a threat and the country of Venezuela as an enemy; and

BECAUSE there is an international campaign in support of Venezuela called "Hands off Venezuela" which is supported by the Ontario Federation of Labour, Alberta F.L. and Labour Councils across the country; now

THE FEDERATION WILL endorse and support the "Hands off Venezuela" Campaign.