Dear friends,

As we arrive at our second Labour Day amidst the pandemic, I am writing to you once more from my office at home. While I am physically distanced from my coworkers at ACFO-ACAF and the CT Community, I am grateful for the systems and technologies that have allowed us to remain connected over the past 18 months.

This year on Labour Day, we must recognize the continuing efforts of Canadian workers as we look forward to the end of the pandemic and move towards recovery. Canadian workers have led the country through this crisis – healthcare workers caring for our sick, teachers teaching our youth and public servants like you delivering services and supports to the Canadians who need them.

As we prepare for the eventual end of the pandemic, the Canadian Labour Congress, of which ACFO-ACAF is an affiliate, is calling on all unionized workers to ensure the recovery is one where no one is left behind. That jobs lost over the course of the pandemic are replaced with better, more secure ones; that the social safety net that supports all Canadians is itself supported so that no one will fall through the cracks; that our healthcare system is strengthened to withstand all future challenges that may come our way.

It can be easy to lose sight of our connection to these challenges but the work of the CT Community is integral. Coming out of the pandemic we know there will be even more importance placed on ensuring every dollar spent is spent appropriately. The financial management and accountability frameworks we uphold are the backbone of the institutions and systems that carried us through this pandemic and they will be the backbone of the recovery to come.

Currently at ACFO-ACAF, we are supporting our community of workers by way of preparing for the upcoming round of bargaining, when we will negotiate the first collective agreement as the CT Group. Our Labour Relations team is hard at work ensuring they are prepared to best represent you and the entire CT Community at the bargaining table when the time comes.

I am looking forward to the day when we can be together in person once again. For now, let me take this opportunity to thank you for all the hard work you do for your community and for Canada. Happy Labour Day.

Dany Richard, MBA, CPA, CMA, ICD.D
President, ACFO-ACAF