AFL set to host human rights conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 16, 1998

AFL set to host human rights conference
Unions tackle problems of intolerance, harrassment and discrimination

EDMONTON -- Union members from across Alberta will gather in Edmonton later this week to discuss strategies for combating racism, harassment and discrimination in the workplace and in the broader community.

It's all part of an Alberta Federation of Labour conference on human rights called, "Dispelling the Myths -- Building a Multicultural Future." The conference will be held March 19-21 at the Howard Johnoson Hotel, located at 10010-104 Street in Edmonton.

"As much as we would like to consider ourselves a tolerant and enlightened society, we all know that there are problems," says AFL President Audrey Cormack.

"Sexual harassment. Racism. Discrimination against women. Discrimination against aboriginal people and people with disabilities. All of these things exist in our workplaces and in our communities. That's why this conference is so important -- we will be discussing concrete strategies for dispelling the myths that lie at the heart of all intolerance."

Delegates to the conference will attend a number of workshops dealing with issues like racism, sexual harassment, aboriginal rights, the rights of the disabled, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Other highlights of the conference include the following:

On Friday, March 20 at 10:30 a.m., a panel discussion will be held to examine the strengths and weakness of human rights legislation in Canada and Alberta. The panelists for this discussion will include: Bob Fagan, regional director of the Canadian Human Rights Commission; Charlach MacKintosh, chief commissioner of the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission; and Sheila Greckol, a prominent labour and human rights lawyer from Edmonton. The panel discussion will take place in the Meredith Room.
On Friday, March 20 at noon, Luisa Serrano Gomez will address conference delegates as they gather for lunch in the hotel's penthouse. Ms. Gomez, a trade union and human rights activist from Columbia, will describe the human rights situation in South America.
On Friday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m. 12-year-old Alicia Lauersen from Fort McMurray will describe the work that she and other children from her community are doing to draw public attention to the growing problem of child labour in the Third World. Lauersen's presentation will take place in the penthouse as part the evening social.
On Saturday, March 21 at 3:00 p.m., a representative from the Confederacy of Treaty Six Nations, will talk about the problem of discrimination against aboriginal people here in Alberta. This presentation will be made in the Meredith Room.

"The labour movement is taking the problems of racism and discrimination very seriously," says Cormack. "We see this conference as just one more step in our continuing campaign to eradicate intolerance and promote a more welcoming environment at work, in our communities and within our unions. We are hopeful that the discussions we have this week will lay the groundwork for constructive change."

For more information call:
Audrey Cormack, President at 483-39021 or
Gil McGowan, Director of Communications at 483-3021