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Winnipeg Human Rights Committee - Meeting Minutes - May 5, 2020

PSAC & Area Human Rights Committee Minutes
May 5, 2020

Present: Jennifer Chieh Ho (Chair), Debbie Leaman (Treasurer), Deanna Ng (Secretary), Khalid Ahmad, Jackie Nanali, Nathalie Richard, Sheryl Knittig, Jessica Cheng (Saskatoon), Tina Matias-Bouchard (PSAC Rep)
Regrets: Maureen

Call to Order: Jen: 5:43pm

Land Acknowledgement: Jen

Moment of Silence: To pay respect and to honour those who have died due to COVID19, and the lives lost to tragic violence everywhere.  As an important day to remember and acknowledge, that today, May 5th is the National Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).

Acknowledgement of the month of May:
- May 5th Missing and Murdered indigenous Women and Girls
- Asian Heritage Month
  South Asian Month (May 5 proclaimed as South Asians arrival day in Ontario)

Round Table welcome and introducitons
Tina:  First meeting as rep for HRC and looking forward to working with HRC

Agenda: (No additions)
Acknowledge Michelle for her efforts who has resigned and we wish her well.

Motion: To approve the agenda: Jackie/Debbie Passed.

Financial Report - Debbie

  • Balance is $362.37.
  • Outstanding items:
  • Uncashed cheque: $104.61.
  • Oscars Deli for our AGM: $88.43.
  • Balance Remaining: $169.33.
  • Jen sent a request to Marianne for honorariums for 3 speakers for Asian Heritage Month at $100.00/each at a total of $300.00.
  • Marion requests Draft of poster for PSAC site.
  • Wait for Budget approval with PRC (Prairies Regional Council)
  • Marianne sent Tina an email
  • Binder of info could not be accessed by Michelle due to pandemic; Debbie will pick up books from Michelle at end of the week
  • Jen will follow up with REVP, Marianne about what is needed for finances and for funding request to be approved
  • Michelle offered stay on till finances are transferred

COVID 19/Social Distancing:
PSAC Regional Convention and Component Convention:

  • 8th Trienniel Prairie Regional Convention - June 12-14 - rescheduled to Spring of 2021
  • National Convention – rescheduled to 2022
  • All Component Trienniel Conventions postponed to 2021
  • See PSAC Prairies website
  • As restrictions for Manitoba are lifted, concerns on protective gear.
  • PSAC’s priority is health and safety of workers.
  • PSAC regional office closed until further notice, but staff work from home.

Mental Health Week - Jen:

  • May 4-10 Canadian Mental Health Week – this year 869th annual event.
  • Theme is ‘social connection” – connect with others. Social distancing is physical distancing. People with few social connections at risk of anxiety and depression.
  • Encourages us to reach out to friends and family and neighbours.

Resources - Debbie
 

PSAC Webinar - Debbie

  • Health and Safety Topics - sessions on PSAC website – includes handouts, slides and tips.
  • Listen to a presenter for 1.5 hours on topics – Occurs Thursday evenings. https://prairies.psac.com/
  • Register to join, receive a confirmation email with sign in details, you are able ask questions on chat or at the end of webinar.
  • 6 topics so far: COVID and Rights at Work, Role of Reps, Union Strategies for Health and Well-Being, Ergonomics & Working from Home, Mental Health, Work/Life Balance While Working from Home.
  • This Thursday is PSAC National Leadership presenting. https://prairies.psac.com/node/11071

Income:

  • 1970’s in Dauphin, Manitoba – experiment came with positive results by everyone having a basic income. Results: less health costs, parents can afford childcare, families able to work
  • During Covid there is more interest in this.
  • CERB is temporarily.
  • Question on CERB and Employment and Income Assistance (EIA).

Xenophobia against Asian Community

  • Kim’s Convenience Store – a Marvel Film - Lead actor faces discrimination.
  • 92-year-old BC Elder beaten for being Asian.
  • Discrimination against Elders, LGBT Community, and people with low incomes.

Worksite and Community:

  • Questions/concerns: Training for staff, working from home, back to work concerns over protective gear, part time/rotational employees, childcare, workplace capacity, assisting the public.
  • Example of a plan: Passport Office has protective plan in place for its employees https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canad...
  • All workplaces must develop a plan, have meetings to check in with worksite Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) committees and employers.
  • Employers and OHS reps have an obligation to hold regular OHS meetings – noting the importance for committees, to bring Agenda items to employers, and to union Reps at workplaces.

Events:
Asian Heritage Month/South Asian Month celebration:

Brief background of AHM and personal stories shared by Jen and Deanna.

Asian Heritage Month Webinar:

  • Exec are working with Tina and reached out to Saskatchewan and Alberta to see if they would be interested to collaborate. Unfortunately, other HRCs felt it was too short notice.
  • Webinar will be held Tuesday, May 26 at 6:30pm

Speakers:

  • There are 3 to 4 speakers – with regional and national perspectives.
  • Other regions offered to share with their networks and it is open to the public.
  • Asian Heritage Month Society Manitoba - does celebratory events, 2020 is their 19th year.
  • Yenny Trinh – AHM President – will speak and post our webinar on their site as it will be recorded.
  • Approval Request to record and share on their website was sent to Marianne – who approved.
  • Conference call with speakers to review presentations is planned to prevent repetition of topics to be covered.
  • National Association Japanese Canadians – a non-profit since 1947- is volunteer and youth oriented focusing on social justice against discrimination, advocates for equity.
  • Talk as a national perspective on Japanese internment camps and Japanese Canadian achievements.
  • Young worker and grassroot organizer– speaking on the perspective of LGBT and equity – represents grassroots activism in BC – about Volunteerism and community.

Honorariums:
Motion: To support honorariums per speaker for at $100 each (at a total of $300) as a fund towards their work their non profit organizations do.
Khalid/Sheryl - Passed.
 

Manitoba to share a poster with these networks.

Summary of Prairies HRC Chairs Conference Call:

  • Calgary: Planning for May 17 for International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

  • Edmonton: Planning for June 21 National Indigenous Day.Our HRC offered to collaborate.

Winnipeg Pride Parade:

  • Postponed from July to September 13.
  • Michelle sent application to participate and applied to REVP to be part of it.
  • Committee invited to participate and help out

June 21 National Indigenous Peoples Day

  • Jen will check in with Edmonton who volunteered to host and to offer to work together with their committee – to organize a webinar if they are interested.
  • Committee encouraged if want to volunteer to reach out to Jen.

Delegate to PSAC Area Council – Jen https://prairies.psac.com/areas/winnipeg/area-council

The HRC is entitled to a delegate seat to the Winnipeg Area Council.  In 2019, Jen attended on behalf of the HRC. Area Council is the political arm of the PSAC and some of its roles are to do with political, social and recreational activities, help with local or provincial issues, collaborate with Manitoba Federation of Labour, Winnipeg District Labour Council, may help with lobbying Provincial or Federal Politicians and much more.

  • To be the voice of Equity members and HRC to the Area Council – to represent your local and raise equity issues at Conventions and conferences. For Example, in 2019, HRC delegate submitted resolutions to do with equity and political issues to Area Council which were passed and forwarded to respective conferences and convention.
  • There was no interest at the meeting for the seat, Jen said she will continue to attend.Jen encourages all members to attend the Area Council on behalf of their locals if there is currently no one attending from their locals.She suggested members to check in with their local executive.Jen is willing to attend future area council meetings and offers to femtor/mentor incumbent to represent HRC.
  • Jen will send Committee future Area Council meeting notice.

Guidelines: Tina

  • Bylaws and Committee Guidelines requires: one vote per Local
  • Guidelines for Human Rights Committee - Handbooks are online
  • HRC handbook was updated last year
  • Tina will send Exec link HRC handbook.
  • Tina will get Tesla PSAC Admin to post our handbook on the website under committee names.

Vice Chair Election:

  • 2 weeks’ notice needed to elect Vice Chair for HRC – May 20, 2020
  • If more than one interested, each candidate has 3 minutes to speak, if only one, then by acclimation.
  • Notice to be sent tomorrow.

National Webinar:

Round Table: (closing remarks)
Encouraged to reach out to others and stay connected

Date of Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 at 5:30pm via conference call.

Motion: To adjourn: Jen: 7:22pm

 

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