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Issue: Members of the Occupy Calgary movement and union leaders from the Calgary area will hold a Labour Solidarity Rally at Calgary City Hall at noon on Saturday, November 12th.

Actions Requested: Join the rally to show your support and solidarity for the fight for workers' rights, a fair wage for a good job and an end to greed and the income inequality plaguing our society.

When: Noon, Saturday, November 12th.

Issue:

The Occupy movement in Calgary, across Canada and around the world is fighting for many of the same things for which the labour movement has campaigned for decades: Workers getting a fair wage; reliable funding for our public services including health care and education; an end to profitable multinational corporations being given billions of our dollars while working people get less and less. Workers are part of the 99%.

AFL's Position: The Occupy movement is protesting income inequality, funding cuts to public services, tax breaks for the wealthy. Despite claims to the contrary, the protestors have legitimate concerns and have come up with specific solutions, such as the Robin Hood Tax on transactions by financial institutions to combat poverty. They have spoken openly about the positive role that unions can play in building a better Calgary, a better Alberta and a better Canada. Occupy Calgary has called for this rally to show solidarity with workers under attack from the Harper government, which has shown its contempt for workers' rights and the ability to bargain collectively.

Even Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney – a former Goldman Sachs investment banker and newly appointed by the G20 as the man to overhaul international banking industry – has acknowledged that the Occupy demonstrations are a "democratic expression of views" and are "entirely constructive." The Occupy movement is helping to keep pressure on governments to introduce vital reforms to the banking industry to prevent the kind of recession that swept the globe in 2008 and caused so much harm to so many.

We support the Occupy movements because they offer a sign of hope that a better, fairer, and more tolerant world may yet emerge from the ashes of the ongoing global financial crisis.

The powers that be have often sought to confront and quash peaceful protests, like those by supporters of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Years later, with the benefit of hindsight, those same societies looked back at the protesters and applauded their courage and conviction – and with horror of the attempts by authorities to silence them.

Action: Join the rally at Calgary City Hall at noon on Saturday, November 12th, to show your support and solidarity for the fight for workers' rights, a fair wage for a good job and an end to greed and the income inequality plaguing our society. Help support the Occupy Calgary occupiers by bringing donations of fresh fruit and vegetables and non-perishable food items, clothing and winter apparel, tenting gear, blankets, foldable chairs, tarps, and monetary donations.

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - Nov. 10, 2011) - The Union representing Calgary outside workers including parks and recreation employees offered today to work with City management to ensure safety and cleanliness are maintained in Olympic Plaza without evicting the 'Occupy Calgary' protesters.

Kevin Galley, President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 37, released a document today expressing a cooperative and principled stance of City of Calgary outside workers and reads:

"Our members are open to working with parks management to ensure the Olympic Plaza site is safe, clean and well maintained during the occupation efforts. With the co-operation of the peaceful protestors, this can be done with minimal cost to the city. Claims of damage and the cost of cleanup reported in the media lack any credibility."

Galley explained that the hope for a fair and bright economic future supported by the Occupy Movement hits close to home for his union's members.

"We're appalled to see maintenance of public parks being contracted out. We're seeing Calgarians getting an unfair deal amidst abundant wealth that could help people and fund our public services. Politicians should listen to concerned citizens, not boot them out," he said.

Local 37's statement follows a message delivered on Wednesday, by the Alberta Federation of Labour to Calgary's Mayor and City Council in support of the rights of peaceful protesters to remain in Olympic Plaza.

Galley feels strongly that CUPE 37 workers can allow Occupy Calgary to protest while maintaining high standards Calgarians expect of city parks. "What we're saying is that those two goals do not contradict each other. We can work with everyone and get in there and do what we do best -- maintain safe and clean public spaces for all Calgarians."

Statement regarding Occupy Calgary Protesters in Olympic Park

Issued by CUPE 37

Calgary is a vibrant city. CUPE 37 members take great pride in contributing to our communities through ensuring Calgarians and visitors alike are able to enjoy safe, beautiful, and well-maintained city parks.

As municipal workers, we live and work in Calgary and have already witnessed privatization of the maintenance of our city's public parks. We share in Occupy Calgary's commitment to our city's future and the call for an end to economic unfairness that neglects the needs of working families and everyday Albertans.

CUPE 37 members believe in public services and economic equality. Therefore, we support Occupy Calgary's right to remain in Olympic Plaza, informed by the following:

1.CUPE 37 members are dismayed at contracting out and privatization of the maintenance of our public parks. We agree with Calgarians who demand strong public services for all.

2.Our members are open to working with parks management to ensure the Olympic Plaza site is safe, clean and well maintained during the occupation efforts. With the co-operation of the peaceful protestors, this can be done with minimal cost to the city. Claims of damage and the cost of cleanup reported in the media lack credibility.

3.Calgarians working to ensure that our province's wealth benefits the public, have legitimate and courageous goals. They are entitled to express their opinions freely. We support Occupy Calgary and hope for a fair and bright economic future for all Albertans. We feel it would be a disservice to silence them.

CUPE 37 - Serving the City of Calgary outside workers, the Town of Nanton, the Town of Vulcan, the Town of Canmore, the Canadian Rockies Regional School Division #12, EPCOR Canmore, the Town of Irricana & the Heritage Park Society.

Marketwire, Thurs Nov 10 2011

A fresh warning issued to the city comes from the head of Alberta's most powerful labour group, who says any move against the Occupy Calgary protesters could ruin Calgary's reputation.

According to The Calgary Sun, the president of the Alberta Federation of Labour wrote a letter to the mayor saying the city shouldn't evict tenters.

Gil McGowan says they can't deny the right to peaceful protest if they really believe in democracy.

The AFL represents 140,000 union workers in the province.

660news.com, Thurs Nov 10 2011

"You cannot say you believe in democracy and then attempt to deny people the right to protest peacefully," says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), which represents 145,000 workers.

The AFL today (Wednesday) issued a statement of solidarity with the continuing Occupy Calgary protest, calling on the City to refrain from eviction proceedings and has sent that statement to Mayor Naheed Nenshi and all members of City Council.

"It's an act of participatory democracy for Calgarians to brave the cold until they truly feel they've been heard. They have the right to protest an economic system that robs the public purse of revenues for our vital social services. They have a right to protest billions of dollars given to profitable multinational corporations while our schools and our children suffer from education cuts and unreliable funding," says McGowan. "Despite claims to the contrary, the protestors have legitimate concerns and have come up with specific solutions, such as the Robin Hood Tax on transactions by financial institutions to combat poverty.

Even Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney – newly appointed by the G20 as the man to overhaul international banking industry – has acknowledged that the Occupy demonstrations are a "democratic expression of views" and are "entirely constructive."

The AFL's statement says: "The powers that be have often sought to confront and quash peaceful protests, like those by supporters of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Years later, with the benefit of hindsight, those same societies looked back at the protesters and applauded their courage and conviction – and with horror of the attempts by authorities to silence them. We must learn from those lessons. We urge the City of Calgary to take the long view of this issue. Any attempt to confront peaceful Occupiers and force them to leave risks staining the good name of the City of Calgary."

Three labour unions affiliated with the federation, and representing workers in Calgary, have come out in explicit support. "Our affiliate members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 37 (representing the City of Calgary outside workers), Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583 (representing Calgary Transit and various City of Calgary employees), and members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1374 (representing Greyhound, Brewster and Red Deer Transit Employees) stand in solidarity with Occupy Calgary," says the statement.

"We support their rights as citizens of Calgary to gather in a public space and to push for change. Any attempt to evict them would be an attempt to sweep them and their legitimate public concerns under the carpet."

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Gil McGowan, AFL president, 780-218-9888 (cell)

The City of Calgary risks staining its good name if it tries to evict peaceful protestors from the Occupy Calgary site at Olympic Plaza, says the province's largest labour organization.

"You cannot say you believe in democracy and then attempt to deny people the right to protest peacefully," says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), which represents 145,000 workers.

The AFL today (Wednesday) issued a statement of solidarity with the continuing Occupy Calgary protest, calling on the City to refrain from eviction proceedings and has sent that statement to Mayor Naheed Nenshi and all members of City Council.

"It's an act of participatory democracy for Calgarians to brave the cold until they truly feel they've been heard. They have the right to protest an economic system that robs the public purse of revenues for our vital social services. They have a right to protest billions of dollars given to profitable multinational corporations while our schools and our children suffer from education cuts and unreliable funding," says McGowan. "Despite claims to the contrary, the protestors have legitimate concerns and have come up with specific solutions, such as the Robin Hood Tax on transactions by financial institutions to combat poverty.

Even Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney – newly appointed by the G20 as the man to overhaul international banking industry – has acknowledged that the Occupy demonstrations are a "democratic expression of views" and are "entirely constructive."

The AFL's statement says: "The powers that be have often sought to confront and quash peaceful protests, like those by supporters of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Years later, with the benefit of hindsight, those same societies looked back at the protesters and applauded their courage and conviction – and with horror of the attempts by authorities to silence them. We must learn from those lessons. We urge the City of Calgary to take the long view of this issue. Any attempt to confront peaceful Occupiers and force them to leave risks staining the good name of the City of Calgary."

Three labour unions affiliated with the federation, and representing workers in Calgary, have come out in explicit support. "Our affiliate members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 37 (representing the City of Calgary outside workers), Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583 (representing Calgary Transit and various City of Calgary employees), and members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1374 (representing Greyhound, Brewster and Red Deer Transit Employees) stand in solidarity with Occupy Calgary," says the statement.

"We support their rights as citizens of Calgary to gather in a public space and to push for change. Any attempt to evict them would be an attempt to sweep them and their legitimate public concerns under the carpet."

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Gil McGowan, AFL president, 780-218-9888 (cell)

McGowan will be available for in-person interviews in Calgary until noon.

Organized labor's early flirtation with Occupy Wall Street is starting to get serious.

Union leaders, who were initially cautious in embracing the Occupy movement, have in recent weeks showered the protesters with help — tents, air mattresses, propane heaters and tons of food. The protesters, for their part, have joined in union marches and picket lines across the nation. About 100 protesters from Occupy Wall Street are expected to join a Teamsters picket line at the Sotheby's auction house in Manhattan on Wednesday night to back the union in a bitter contract fight.

Labor unions, marveling at how the protesters have fired up the public on traditional labor issues like income inequality, are also starting to embrace some of the bold tactics and social media skills of the Occupy movement.

Last Wednesday, a union transit worker and a retired Teamster were arrested for civil disobedience inside Sotheby's after sneaking through the entrance to harangue those attending an auction — echoing the lunchtime ruckus that Occupy Wall Street protesters caused weeks earlier at two well-known Manhattan restaurants owned by Danny Meyer, a Sotheby's board member.

Organized labor's public relations staff is also using Twitter, Tumblr and other social media much more aggressively after seeing how the Occupy protesters have used those services to mobilize support by immediately transmitting photos and videos of marches, tear-gassing and arrests. The Teamsters, for example, have beefed up their daily blog and posted many more photos of their battles with BMW, US Foods and Sotheby's on Facebook and Twitter.

"The Occupy movement has changed unions," said Stuart Appelbaum, the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. "You're seeing a lot more unions wanting to be aggressive in their messaging and their activity. You'll see more unions on the street, wanting to tap into the energy of Occupy Wall Street."

Unions have long stuck to traditional tactics like picketing. But inspired by the Occupy protests, labor leaders are talking increasingly of mobilizing the rank and file and trying to flex their muscles through large, boisterous marches, including nationwide marches planned for Nov. 17.

Organized labor is also seizing on the simplicity of the Occupy movement's message, which criticizes the great wealth of the top 1 percent of Americans compared with the economic struggles of much of the bottom 99 percent.

A memo that the A.F.L.-C.I.O. sent out last week recommended that unions use the Occupy message about inequality and the 99 percent far more in their communications with members, employers and voters.

Indeed, as part of its contract battle with Verizon, the communications workers' union has began asserting in its picket signs that Verizon and its highly paid chief executive are part of the 1 percent, while the Verizon workers who face demands for concessions are part of the 99 percent. A dozen Verizon workers plan to begin walking from Albany to Manhattan on Thursday in a "March for the 99 percent."

"We think the Occupy movement has given voice to something very basic about what's going on in our country right now," said Damon Silvers, the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s policy director. "The fact that they've figured out certain concepts and language for doing that, we think is really important and positive."

Over the last month, unions have provided extensive support to Occupy protesters around the country, from rain ponchos to cash donations. National Nurses United is providing staff members for first-aid tables at many encampments, while the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s headquarters two blocks from the White House is providing shower facilities for the protesters occupying McPherson Square, 300 yards to the east.

Unions have also intervened with politicians on behalf of the protesters. In Los Angeles, labor leaders have repeatedly lobbied Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa not to evict the protesters. When New York City officials were threatening to evict the Occupy Wall Street protesters from Zuccotti Park, hundreds of union members showed up before daybreak to discourage any eviction, and the city backed down.

Like any relationship, however, the one between the Occupy movement and labor is complicated.

Dozens of Occupy protesters have joined union members to picket the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles and Verizon offices in Washington, Buffalo and Boston. (A Verizon spokesman said the Occupy protesters "do not have the benefit of any information about the Verizon issues except what they've been told by the union, which is obviously one-sided and most likely inaccurate.")

In New York, the Occupy protesters have joined the Teamsters in their attacks on Sotheby's. The art auction house locked out 43 Teamster art handlers on July 29, after the union balked at its demands for sizable concessions.

In addition to the lunchtime protest at the Danny Meyer restaurants, Occupy protesters also joined recent picketing against Sotheby's outside the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Diana Phillips, a Sotheby's spokeswoman, said the company had offered a fair contract and "is unwilling to accept demands that virtually double the cost of their contract."

Arthur Brown, a mental health worker who is one of the founders of Occupy Buffalo, where 50 people camp out each night, said the Occupy movement badly needed labor's backing if it is to change the nation's policies and politics.

"Young people started this movement, but they can't finish it," Mr. Brown said. "They don't have the capacity or the experience to finish it. We really need the working class and union folks, the older folks, the activists from the '60s. '70s and '80s, to help make this a full-fledged movement that will change the political landscape of America."

But some Occupy protesters worry that organized labor might seek to co-opt them.

Jake Lowry, a 21-year-old college student and an Occupy participant, said: "We're glad to have unions endorse us, but we can't formally endorse them. We're an autonomous group and it's important to keep our autonomy."

George Gresham, president of 1199 S.E.I.U., a union that represents more than 300,000 health care workers in the Northeast, said his union wanted to help the Occupy movement amplify its voice.

"This is a dream come true for us to have these young people speaking out about what's been happening to working people," Mr. Gresham said. His union has offered to provide 500 flu shots and a week's worth of meals for the Occupy Wall Street protesters.

María Elena Durazo, executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said it remained to be seen whether the unions and the protesters could, by working together, achieve concrete change.

"Workers are with the Occupy movement on the broader issues; they're with them on the issue of inequality," she said. "The question is, can the labor movement or the Occupy movement move that message down to the workplace, where workers confront low wages, low benefits and little power? Can we use it to organize workers where it really matters, in the workplace, to help their everyday life?"

New York Times, Tues Nov 8 2011

A Conservative Private Member's Bill to be debated in Parliament today (Thursday) is part of an organized campaign by the Harper government to silence all those who oppose its right-wing agenda, says the leader of Alberta's largest labour organization.

"Democracy is in danger when voices are silenced – and Bill C-317 is an attempt to weaken and silence the labour movement," says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), which represents 145,000 workers.

"The measures proposed in this bill have nothing to do with transparency or making unions accountable. No other organizations – including corporations or even the government itself – are subject to the levels of disclosure proposed in the bill. It would be very difficult for any organization to comply with these deliberately onerous rules – and the Conservatives know it. This is clearly an attempt to tie the labour movement in knots and to weaken unions as a force to be reckoned with."

McGowan say Bill C-317 should be seen as just the latest part of a larger and deliberate campaign by the Harper government to silence all voices that oppose it.

McGowan points out that the Harper government has silence prominent individuals like former Veterans Ombudsman Col. Pat Stogran; former Statistics Canada chief Munir Sheikh ; and former head of Rights and Democracy Rémy Beauregard. Meanwhile, many non-government organizations that see the world differently than the Tories have had their funding cut by the Harper government, including Kairos, the organization of Canadian churches working for justice and peace; the Office of Democratic Governance at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA); and the Status of Women Canada. The Harper government's cutting of funding for political parties is also designed to stifle opposition voices, says McGowan.

"With Bill C-317, the Conservatives are trying to drive another nail in the coffin of democratic debate by going after unions, who have historically been a strong voice in fighting for the rights of all Canadians, whether union members or not. They know that unions are part of the 60 per cent of Canadian who don't support Harper's vision for a meaner, less progressive Canada. And they want to trip us up before we can help rally the troops to defend a vision of a more progressive Canada."

As Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman said earlier this year about the attack on unions in Wisconsin, "... it's important to have institutions that can act as counterweights to the power of big money. And unions are among the most important of these institutions."

Says McGowan: "This attack on civil society must not be allowed to succeed. The Harper government fails to understand that Canada is stronger when many voices are heard. Harper appears to fear and be angered by anyone who doesn't agree with him. He wants Canada to be a nation of Yes Men and Women, who hear and obey, but do not question."

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MEDIA CONTACT: Gil McGowan, AFL president, 780-218-9888

For more complete lists of organizations and individuals attacked by the Harper government, visit http://rabble.ca/news/2011/04/stephen-harpers-firing-range-list-87-organizations-and-people-attacked-five-years and http://www.cep.ca/pub/funding-cuts-harper-government

The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), which represents 145,000 workers across the province, made a clear declaration of support for the Occupy Calgary and Occupy Edmonton movements today. The protest actions are set to begin on Saturday in Edmonton's Winston Churchill Square and Calgary's Banker's Hall.

Unfair economic strategies that punish working families and recent attacks on the rights of Canadian workers to strike and collectively bargain are key factors in their support. A statement released by the Federation read:

"The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) believes in fairness for working families and all Albertans. As a result, we support the Occupy Edmonton and Occupy Calgary movements in their call for democratic and peaceful intervention into an economic system that has been failing to address the concerns and meet the needs of working people locally, nationally, and on a global scale."

AFL president Gil McGowan said the Federation's support of a movement that has spread to financial centres across North America is grounded in concerns that are specific to Alberta. "It doesn't add up," he said. "You have an affluent few in this province who are rewarded with billions of dollars of our public funds through generous giveaways, and at the same time there doesn't seem to be enough stable funding for our children's classrooms from year to year. How is that fair?"

Government attacks on workers are also top of mind for labour leaders. Alongside other provincial counterparts across Canada, the AFL is speaking up against the recent spate of unprecedented anti-union legislative maneuvering by governments. "Canada's workers have fought for historic victories that benefit everyone, like paid maternity leave. When you suddenly have a government that wants to take away the right of working people to negotiate fair conditions from their employers, you're going to see people stand up for what's right."

McGowan also adds that struggles faced by working families are not only unfair but unacceptable in such a wealthy province. "We can no longer ignore the obvious. Corporate wealth generated from our resources isn't reaching Alberta's families. We support the Occupy movements because they offer a sign of hope that things can change."

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MEDIA CONTACT: Gil McGowan, AFL president, 780-218-9888 (cell)

EDMONTON — Alberta politicians celebrated Jack Layton's legacy Monday, saluting his lifelong commitment to public service and his passionate defence of immigrant, vulnerable and working Canadians.

The 61-year-old leader of the federal opposition party succumbed to an aggressive, unnamed cancer early Monday morning, three months after New Democratic Party achieved unprecedented electoral success under his leadership.

"Jack's dream for Alberta was the same as his dream for Canadians right across the country — he wanted those who didn't have a voice to be represented," Edmonton-Strathcona NDP MP Linda Duncan said.

"They are seniors who are struggling to get by. They are immigrants who are trying to become Canadians and contribute to society. They are young Canadians who want affordable education, and young families who ... can't afford child care."

Duncan said Layton was a great leader who built a strong party across Canada and in Alberta, where support for the party is growing.

"We have high hopes for the next election," Duncan said. "Jack was the eternal optimist. He was undaunted. He was a remarkable human being."

She said she has confidence the party will stay strong, but added: "there will never be another Jack Layton."

Duncan said one of her fondest memories is of Layton singing Hit the Road Jack any time he got near a piano. Three years ago, she took Layton to the Fringe and Edmontonians who met him were "completely taken, because he was the genuine thing. I tried walking around with him, but we just gave up, people kept wanting to buy him a beer."

Alberta NDP Leader Brian Mason said Layton's legacy will be "the triumph of hope over pessimism" and a credible alternative to the conservative vision for Canada

"The tragedy is that this man could have, and very likely would have, become the prime minister if this illness had not taken him away from us," Mason said. Layton's message to Canadians was simple, he said: "There is a real, clear alternative to the Conservative vision for Canada, and here it is. I think Canadians embraced that," he said.

Mason and Layton became friends 15 years ago when Mason was on Edmonton city council and Layton on Toronto's city council. Both were pressing for progressive reforms. Mason later served as Alberta chairman for Layton's leadership run. The two stayed in touch, even after Layton's announcement July 25 that he was temporarily stepping down to receive treatment for a newly diagnosed cancer.

"He has always been there for me," Mason said. "To the extent that I've improved as a leader of a party is because of his inspiration. That's his legacy for me, personally."

Asked about his fondest memories of Layton, Mason recalled three-day board meetings when Layton was running for the president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

"He would gather people together in his hotel room and play the guitar and get everybody singing old folk songs from the '60s," Mason said. "He just got people involved, just with his personality, not politics."

Edmonton-Strathcona MLA Rachel Notley said Layton's leadership helped the party grow up and execute the "first-class campaign" that got MP Linda Duncan elected federally in Edmonton-Strathcona — the only Alberta NDP Member of Parliament.

Notley's father, Grant, was leader of Alberta's Official Opposition when he was killed in a plane crash in 1984. In the election that followed his party had a remarkable breakthrough, winning 16 seats with 29 per cent of the vote.

The same could happen after Layton's passing, Notley said.

"With my dad's death, there was a lot more commentary about the value and the merit of the work he did, and it was much more publicly discussed on a provincial level, so I think it raised the credibility of the party in the eyes of the public," Notley said.

"As well, I think his death inspired activists within the party to really focus on trying to make sure that the '86 election was a success."

Asked if something similar might happen as a result of Layton's passing, she said: "We're already seeing it. The way people talk about Jack has evolved over the last several months, but I think it's going to continue in a way that's very positive," she said.

"I don't think that can do anything but raise the credibility of the party federally and, by (extension), provincially."

Alberta Federation of Labour secretary Nancy Furlong said Layton's death is a tragic loss, but that his accomplishments in the last federal election earned new legitimacy for the New Democrats, which will improve the party's prospects in Alberta and across the country.

"The New Democrats are poised to actually influence the course of Canadian politics in a way that would be good for the average person," she said.

"That (voice) hasn't been heard in politics for a very long time: an honest representation of working people, the basic belief that society is there for the working person."

Premier Ed Stelmach said in a statement that "Jack was an enthusiastic and passionate politician who held strongly to his convictions during his long career in public life."

Alberta Liberal Opposition leader David Swann said Layton's death just months after becoming leader of the Official Opposition "seems unbearably cruel.

"Whatever his or her political affiliation, no Canadian can deny that Jack Layton lived to serve his country and his fellow citizens.".

Mayor Stephen Mandel called Layton's passing "a great loss," and noted Layton visited Edmonton many times and launched his 2011 federal election campaign here in March.

"Jack spoke for the common man so much," Mandel said. "He had such passion for their plight, and he also was a great character and a great supporter of cities as well."

Alberta Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith called Layton a principled leader and a great Canadian. "Canadians from coast to coast, myself included, were inspired by the courageous and energetic campaign he wagered last May," she said in a statement.

Alberta Party Leader Glenn Taylor also called Layton a "personal inspiration," partly because of "his unswerving commitment to the politics of hope and optimism rather than that of fear and anger.

"He showed us that optimism, creativity and imagination can and should exist in politics," Taylor said in a statement. "Thank you, sir."

Edmonton Journal, Tues Aug 23 2011
Byline: Karen Kleiss

"For the first time in more than 30 years, a Conservative victory is not a foregone conclusion," says Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan.

"It's at times like these that citizens can really flex their democratic muscles - and demand more from politicians. That's exactly what we're encouraging our members to do."

As part of the AFL's "Show Us the Plan" campaign, unions affiliated to the Federation will mail or hand deliver leaflets to between 120,000 and 130,000 union households across the province.

The leaflets - along with the campaign website, www.ShowUsThePlan.ca - make the case that the Stelmach Conservatives have failed to articulate a clear vision for Alberta's oil-sands-driven economy.

The campaign also shows that the Conservatives have failed to adequately address pressing problems like the rising cost of living; our province's crumbling infrastructure and over-burdened public services, and the potential for thousands of Alberta jobs to be "shipped down the pipeline" to upgraders and refineries in the United States.

"This election is pivotal for the future of our province," says McGowan. "We want our members to understand the importance of the issues and the important roll they have as voters in setting the future direction for our province."

The campaign's central leaflet reminds voters of the track records of both the Klein and Stelmach governments and concludes that political change is healthy and long overdue in Alberta.

"Albertans may look back on this election as the time they started blazing a new path for the 21st century," says McGowan. "We want to encourage our members to seize this moment and help lead the way toward a new and better Alberta."

The Show Us the Plan campaign is separate from - but complementary to - the Albertans for Change campaign that the AFL is co-sponsoring with the Alberta Building Trades Council and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.

More events associated with the AFL campaign are planned over the next two and a half weeks. Details of these events will be announced in stages over the next week to ten days. Click here for the town halls scheduled for Fort McMurray (February 27th), Hinton (February 28th), Calgary (February 29th), and Edmonton (March 1st).

"It's important to note that in all of our campaign efforts, we're not trying to tell people who to vote for." says McGowan. "What we're trying to do instead is provide our members with the tools they need to cast informed ballots. We are convinced that, together, Albertans can turn up the heat on our politicians and get better government and a better future in return."

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For more information contact:

Gil McGowan, AFL President @ 780.483-3021 (office) or 780.218-9888 (cell)