Canadian think tank taps Boilermaker representative

A CANADIAN NATIONAL task force, Real Jobs, Real Recovery, formed in the spring to create an economic plan for the country as it recovers from the impact of COVID-19, with an aim to encompass all Canadians, including union workers and Indigenous groups. International Rep Michel Trépanier, a member of Local 271 (Montreal), was appointed to the task force in July.

Real Jobs, Real Recovery is representing 250,000 businesses and 3 million workers in 25 industries across Canada, including in the energy, manufacturing, construction, transportation and forestry sectors. The group’s makeup includes people from industry associations, unions, professional groups and Indigenous organizations.

According to Stewart Muir, the executive director for Real Jobs, Real Recovery, the goal of the task force is to create solutions that are competitive, clean and inclusive.

Given the economic harm that COVID-19 has wrought on both workers and businesses, the task force hopes to quickly form policy that will create thousands of jobs where trained workers with useable skillsets already exist.

“This initiative is essential to build a real conversation on Canada’s economic recovery, and I am glad to be a part of it,” Trépanier said. “As an international representative for Boilermakers in Quebec, I know how important natural and industrial resources growth is for our workers and for our economy—not only in our province but all over the country.”