Canada's national capital is now officially a No Sweat city

'A city council that recognizes the need to respect the rights of working people.'
- Sean McKenny

Ottawa - (16 May 2006) - The national capital of Canada is now officially a No Sweat city.

Ottawa's City Council has unanimously approved a resolution from the Ottawa No Sweat Coalition to adopt an ethical procurement policy. The measure received formal approval on May 10.

“We are fortunate in Ottawa to have a City Council that recognizes the need to respect the rights of working people and those who are less fortunate than ourselves," says Sean McKenny, president of the Ottawa and District Labour Council.

While the vote was unanimous, it is clear that some of the councillors are still struggling with the issue. Several have stated that this initiative will only receive their support if the policy can be implemented within existing staff resources.

“The remarks made by some of the councillors on this issue indicate that we still have a great deal of work to do to educate council and the public on just how serious this issue is becoming around the world," says Anne-Marie Schryer-Roy, a member of the coalition.

"The fact is that monitoring the production practices of companies who supply goods and services to the city takes a lot of work, and a specific individual has to be responsible for this task if the policy is to be effective," she notes.

"The Coalition and its supporters and the Ottawa and District Labour Council and its members look forward to working with city staff to develop a policy that is both cost effective and capable of getting the job done," adds Dave Calvert, coordinator of the coalition.

"It is extremely important that we get the policy right the first time or this initiative will just be a distant memory in a few years and the abusive practices of unscrupulous factory owners around the world and here in Canada will continue," he said. NUPGE