"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." - Aboriginal activists group, Queensland, Australia, 1970s.

On November 26, 2020, PSAC held a webinar that was intended as a conversation about what PSAC members are doing to advance social justice at home and around the globe and the connection between injustices in Canada and Guatemala.  Find out more about: 

• the Social Justice Fund and why it is important to PSAC, and 
• why worker education and exchanges are essential to promoting solidarity amongst workers globally. 

Over the last 12 months, 9 PSAC members participated in solidarity exchanges in Guatemala, including Breaking the Silence and a special initiative to support the Indigenous Xinca parliament’s peaceful resistance to Canadian mining interests. PSAC young workers also travelled to the highlands of Guatemala to take part in the 13th Education-In-Action (EIA) delegation, PSAC’s Social Justice Fund’s collaborative project with Ottawa-based solidarity organization Education In Action and the Campesino Committee of the Highlands of Guatemala (CCDA). 

While in Guatemala, members met with communities and organizations that are working for justice and respect for Indigenous rights, access to land as well as for the empowerment of women. Delegation participants are eager to share what they saw, heard and learned in Guatemala. Check out the 2020 participants’ Stories from Education in Action before the webinar!

This webinar was organized by PSAC Education and the PSAC Social Justice Fund.

Invited panelists

Frédérique Conradi

Frédérique is a member of the Yukon Employees Union (YEU), Local Y018 where she has been involved in her local, most recently as Shop Steward. She also serves as Young Workers’ Director on the YEU Executive. Read her blog on Lessons on Indigenous Rights, Food, and Land Sovereignty.

Charito Humphreys 

Charito is the president of Local 40811 of the Canadian Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU) and the Alternate National Vice-President for CEIU Manitoba/ Saskatchewan Region. Read her blog on Political Corruption in Guatemala.

Zaklina Mansur

Zaklina is a member of the Agriculture Union, Local AGR 15 and has been a long-time advocate of Café Justicia by selling the Mayan coffee with colleagues and friends in her hometown of Stoney Creek, Ontario.

Whitney McSheffery 

Whitney is a member of Union of Veterans’ Affairs Employees, and President of Local UVAE 60006 based in Lincoln, New Brunswick. Read her blog on Gender Based Violence in Guatemala.

Neydi Morales Juracán 

Neydi is a young Indigenous leader of the Campesino Committee of the Highlands of Guatemala (CCDA) and coordinates several of its program including Women empowerment and Sustainable Agricultural production.

Somadina Muojeke

Somadina is a member of the Teaching Assistants’ Union (DCL) at Memorial University, St. John’s, NFLD. He participated in the Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network (BTS) delegation to Guatemala in November 2019. You can read about his experience in the blog BTS Delegation to Guatemala – Day 9

Todd Smith 

Todd is a member of Agriculture Union, Local AGR 20044 and alternate Vice-President for the PSAC BC Region. He lives and works in Vancouver. Read his blog on Corporate accountability for Canadian mining activities in Guatemala.