Thursday, December 14, 2023
AMAPCEO’s Board of Directors recently approved charitable donations of $10,000 to five groups at its November meeting. Those groups being Community Food Centres Canada, Feed Ontario, Yonge Street Mission, Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Homes, and the Canadian Red Cross Middle East Humanitarian Crisis Appeal.
Since the onset of the pandemic, AMAPCEO has done its best to aid those most in need, whether in the form of basic staples like food and shelter, or for broader humanitarian purposes. We help those in need because it is simply what good citizens do.
Though there are more than 100 armed conflicts worldwide, some simply hit closer to home for larger numbers of our members. The Red Cross donation is the second of its kind—AMAPCEO made a similar donation in 2022 at the onset of the Russia/Ukraine conflict. While as a non-partisan union we take no political side in provincial or federal politics, nor any side in wars or conflicts involving religion or cultural strife, we unabashedly support the fundamental human rights of innocents harmed by all conflicts, given we represent members connected to all sides.
In recent weeks, AMAPCEO has been approached by some members wishing us to come out and speak in favour of Palestine or Israeli causes, or as some other unions have recently done, to formally and publicly call for a ceasefire. While we deeply appreciate their concerns, as a purposefully non-partisan union, AMAPCEO takes no formal public position in any conflict beyond caring for the human rights of those innocently impacted. That has been our stance for 30 years and it continues today.
That said, earlier this week, Canada was one of 153 nations to vote in favour of a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Israel and Palestine. Though we appreciate that some may find partisanship in Canada and the UN’s action, as a union that prides itself in defending the human rights of its members and achieving solutions to conflict for them through the successful use of similarly nuanced means of alternative dispute resolution, we are supportive of this approach and its intent of protecting human rights, preventing further loss of life, and working toward a solution for peace.
Furthermore, as a union that also prides itself on being an anti-racism champion we are saddened by the absence of tolerance here in our own communities and workplaces, where all too often of late we’ve seen antisemitic, anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian, and Islamophobic behaviour. And so, we urge our members and all Ontarians to also respect one another’s human rights right here at home.
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December 10 was United Nations’ Human Rights Day, and though our members for the most part enjoy the human rights they should, we should all be reminded that not everyone is as fortunate.
While many AMAPCEO members celebrate the holidays and look forward to the new year, we are acutely aware that their happiness is tempered by the knowledge of tremendous suffering happening elsewhere in the world.
Any member struggling with news of ongoing international conflicts and in need of assistance is encouraged to access the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), which is available to every AMAPCEO member and their families. Details are available on our Health, Safety, and Wellness page.
AMAPCEO members in the Ontario Public Service can further access OPS Inclusive Counselling services, in which members and their families can search a directory available counsellors to select one they believe meets their needs and is an appropriate fit.