Pronouns: he/him
Location: Montreal, Qc
In 2018, I cofounded “La planète s’invite au Parlement” and organized a series of protests that culminated in Quebec’s climate march on the 27th of September 2019, drawing 500 000 protesters in Montreal alone. Our organization coordinated the event with the student environmental movement (which played a major role in this mobilization) and answered Earth Strike’s call by encouraging unions to vote for a one-day strike on the day of the protest. By September 27th, 14 unions had answered the call.
In 2021, I cofounded Workers for Climate Justice. We organized another one-day climate strike in partnership with the student movement on the 23rd of September 2022. This time, 150 000 students and 23 unions representing 15 000 workers answered our call by adopting strike mandates. We are now working on broadening our tactics to engage a maximum of unions in the fight for climate justice.
Apart from that, I’ve been a college teacher for most of my life – literature has been my personal gateway into activism.
What’s something about you that would surprise others to know:
For most of my twenties and thirties, I aimed for an artistic career. I dreamed of writing for the theater.
Organization name: Workers for Climate Justice
Country/Region: Canada/Quebec
What unique role do you or your organization play in the progressive movement in Canada?
Very few organizations managed to push for climate justice within Canada’s labour movement. Ours is still struggling, but we already managed to go further than most.
What part of movement infrastructure are you interested in building in the next decade?
We need money. Our work is currently done only by volunteers, some of which actually take significant time off their job to make our campaigns work. We have managed to build what could become a very strong network, but we’ll need funding – a lot of it – to go further.
Share a book, article, podcast, or piece of art that captures where you want the movement to go.
Climate change as class war, by Matt Huber
Mission & Mandate
Workers for Climate Justice (WCJ) is an organization of workers and local unions mobilized around climate justice issues. We believe that the labour movement is uniquely positioned to develop the power required to build a regenerative and just economy.
Who is your audience? Who are you trying to influence and engage?
Unionized workers
One thing people might not know about your organization
In less than two years of existence, around 50 unions already voted some form of support for our organization.
A win you’re celebrating with your organization
Our members pushed for a demand in the current collective bargaining of Quebec’s college teachers. If it makes its way into the contract, all colleges will have to be carbon neutral by 2030 (including scope 3 emissions). The demand has been prioritized by a vast majority of teachers’ unions.
A challenge you’re working through with your organization
Recruiting in the private sector