2007 PSAC NATIONAL ACCESS CONFERENCE:

“TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD: MOVING FORWARD”

• CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES
• PARTICIPANTS
• APPLICATION FORM
• CALL FOR RESOLUTIONS
• INSTRUCTIONS FOR NOMINATION FORM

CALL FOR RESOLUTIONS

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF RESOLUTIONS IS
May 24, 2007 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Preparations for the 2007 PSAC National Access Conference to be held in Ottawa from September 7 to 9, 2007 are well underway.  The theme of the 2007 PSAC National Access Conference is “Transforming Our World:  Moving Forward”.

CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES:

The objectives of the 2007 PSAC National Access Conference are:

• To defend quality public services for persons with disabilities
• To empower and engage persons with disabilities to take action and move the disability agenda forward
• To better connect and to include persons with disabilities in our communities, our workplaces and our union
• To lobby in order to transform and to advance the disability rights agenda
• To provide tools to advocate for disability rights in our communities, our workplaces and our union

The resolutions should be aimed at strengthening and improving the Union's work on disability rights and at advancing our objectives.

Resolutions will be discussed, debated and voted on at the Conference and then subsequently submitted to the appropriate bodies including the next PSAC Triennial Convention in 2009.

• The traditional resolutions process will be utilized for the 2007 PSAC National Access Conference (i.e. resolutions committee, debate at the Conference).
• All PSAC constitutionally recognized bodies and union structures will be entitled to forward resolutions to the 2007 PSAC National Access Conference.
• Only five (5) resolutions per body/structure will be accepted.
• Please limit your resolution to a maximum of 150 words.

Please note that Resolutions will be grouped into three categories:

1. Resolutions dealing with internal PSAC structures, policies, education.
2. Resolutions pertaining to mobilizing, political action, education, etc around the PSAC National “Defending Quality Public Services” Campaign and other national PSAC campaigns.
3. Resolutions focused on broader disability issues and political action.

Should you have any questions regarding the resolutions process, please contact Seema Lamba, the PSAC National Human Rights Officer by email at lambas@psac.com

In Solidarity,

In a Resolution that was adopted by the NBoD in June 2006, resolutions that are being submitted for the PSAC Triennial Convention will be accepted in either the traditional format or in a clear language format. Therefore either of the following resolution formats may be used in order to submit resolutions for the 2007 PSAC National Access Conference.

The following is a sample resolution reproduced in both the Traditional format and the Clear Language format:

TRADITIONAL FORMAT

TITLE: LOBBY FOR THE DUTY TO ACCOMMODATE IN THE WORKPLACE
ORIGINATOR: Regional Human Rights Committee
LANGUAGE OF ORIGIN: E

WHEREAS the duty to accommodate is the law under the Canadian Human Rights Act and other provincial and territorial human rights legislation and disability and other equality rights are protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; and

WHEREAS many members living with a disability are faced with discrimination, financial hardship and limited opportunities in the workplace; and

WHEREAS many members are unaware of their rights or how to exercise them:

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the PSAC develop and delivery education courses about the duty to accommodate; and
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT PSAC and its members lobby governments to adequately resource human rights agencies in order to have complaints related to the duty to accommodate dealt with in a timely manner ; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT PSAC and its members lobby the federal government to re-instate and adequately resource non-governmental organizations such as the Court Challenges Program to pursue court cases that deal with violations of the Charter; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT PSAC meet with employers to increase awareness about duty to accommodate and, that these efforts highlight the employer legal responsibility under human rights legislation.

CLEAR LANGUAGE FORMAT

TITLE: LOBBY FOR THE DUTY TO ACCOMMODATE IN THE WORKPLACE
ORIGINATOR: Regional Human Rights Committee
LANGUAGE OF ORIGIN: E

THE PROBLEM OR ISSUE:

The duty to accommodate is the law under the Canadian Human Rights Act and other provincial and territorial human rights legislation and disability and other equality rights are protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

However, many members living with a disability are faced with discrimination, financial hardship and limited opportunities in the workplace.

Yet, many members are unaware of their rights or how to exercise them.

THE ACTIONS REQUESTED:

The PSAC develop and delivery education courses about the duty to accommodate.

The PSAC and its members lobby governments to adequately resource  human rights agencies in order to have complaints related to the duty to accommodate dealt with in a timely manner.

The PSAC and its members lobby the federal government to re-instate and adequately resource non-governmental organizations such as the Court Challenges Program to pursue court cases that deal with violations of the Charter.

The PSAC meet with employers to increase awareness about duty to accommodate and, that these fforts highlight the employer legal responsibility under human rights legislation.