Sid Ryan
Encyclopedia
Patrick Cyril "Sid" Ryan (born 1952, in Dublin, Ireland
) is president of the Ontario Federation of Labour
and a longtime Canadian
labour union leader and politician.
Born in Dublin, Republic of Ireland
, and third eldest of ten children, Ryan immigrated to Canada at age 23. He and his wife Sheila have three daughters: Lisa, Susan, and Amanda.
Ryan helped to organize a United Steelworkers of America (USWA) local where he worked shortly after arriving in Canada. He has been a Canadian Union of Public Employees
(CUPE) activist since he went to work for Ontario Hydro
in 1976. He served as CUPE Ontario president from 1992 to 2009, representing 225,000 workers in the public sector. CUPE is the Canada's largest and fastest growing union with nearly 600,000 members. CUPE Ontario is the largest provincial division. Ryan also served as general vice-president of CUPE National until 2009.
Under Sid Ryan’s leadership, CUPE Ontario focused on issues such as privatization, forced mergers, cutbacks, and restructuring. Ryan continues to lead major campaigns and proactively influence policy and legislative decisions in health care, municipal, school board, social service, and university sectors. He is a proponent of increasing the accessibility of university education across Ontario.
Ryan appears regularly on Michael Coren Live and CHEX TV Durham, and writes a bi-weekly column for the Toronto Sun
. He is also a frequent guest on TV Ontario’s current affairs programs. He is a frequent speaker in the Canadian labour movement.
Ryan has been recruited by Human rights groups to act as a Canadian peace observer in Northern Ireland
, to march alongside members of the United Farm Workers
in California and to lobby Texas politicians for a commutation of Stanley Faulder
's death sentence.
He has worked for the New Democratic Party
during every election since arriving in Canada. He ran for the party provincially in 1999
, 2003
and 2007
, as well as federally in 2004
and 2006
. He is the recipient of the Canada 125 Medal
, presented to Canadian citizens for their contributions to the good of the community and society in general.
In November 2009, Ryan was acclaimed to the position of president of the Ontario Federation of Labour
.
(NDP) since the 1980s. He has served on the Ontario NDP
's provincial council and Environment committee, and is a former president of the Durham Centre
riding association
.
Ryan's affiliation with the Ontario NDP became tenuous in the early 1990s, when the party moved to the right under Bob Rae
's leadership. On one occasion, he referred to the Rae government's Social Contract
bill as the most anti-labour piece of legislation he had ever seen. He has since re-aligned himself with the provincial party under Howard Hampton
's leadership.
Ryan has stood as an NDP candidate in three provincial and two federal election campaigns, but has not to date won election to a legislative body. He contested Scarborough Centre
in the 1999 provincial election
, and finished third behind Progressive Conservative
incumbent Marilyn Mushinski
and Liberal Costas Manios
. In the 2003 provincial election
, he campaigned in Oshawa
and came within 1,109 votes of defeating PC incumbent Jerry Ouellette
. Ryan moved the NDP's vote from around 5000 to over 18,000 during the course of his campaigns in Oshawa.
Ryan also stood as a candidate for Oshawa in the 2004 federal election
, and lost to Conservative
Colin Carrie
by 463 votes in a very close three-way race. He ran again in the 2006 election, but, despite considerable support from the federal NDP leader Jack Layton and CAW head Buzz Hargrove, lost by 2,802 votes to incumbent Carrie.
During the last few days of the 2006 election campaign, Alan Clarke, in a flyer reminding the Membership of CAW Local 222 that the Local was prohibited from supporting Mr. Ryan's campaign by a 1993 binding referendum, showed Mr. Ryan having a beer with Alex Maskey who was reportedly twice interned for being a member of the IRA. Mr. Maskey later became Lord Mayor of Belfast, a position appointed by Council. Carrie's campaign has denied being involved, with manager Andrew Morin suggesting that the leaflet is a product of union squabbling over an endorsement by the Canadian Auto Workers. Morin and Ryan have stated that the two campaigns are otherwise on good terms. Elections Canada has since laid two charges of breaching the Elections Act against Clarke, while Ryan also filed a civil suit. Mr. Clarke was later found innocent of the Elections Canada charges and has filed a counter-suit against Mr. Ryan. Ryan has alleged that Clarke was working on Carrie's 2006 campaign, which Morin had earlier denied.
In the 2007 Ontario provincial election
, Ryan challenged Ouellette for the second time, losing by over 2500 votes, a larger margin than in 2003.
pension plan. Ryan wanted the government to allow the stakeholders to have control over investments and day to day governance of the plan. Pension surpluses were not being used to raise pensions for some plan members.
In 2006, Ryan threatened a political strike after Premier Dalton McGuinty
brought in Bill 206, which would change the administration of OMERS but would not fully address CUPE's concerns. However, this met with resistance from a small number of CUPE locals. The employer organization AMO (Association of Municipalities Ontario), together with OMERS administrators fought, to stop Ryan's campaign. McGuinty agreed to make some changes to address CUPE's concerns but refused to withdraw the bill. In Sept, 2008 Ryan was appointed to the Board of Directors of OMERS. OMERS is the 4th largest pension plan in Canada with assets of around $50B.
The tour saw great turnouts at stops in Windsor, London, Guelph, Hamilton, St Catharines, Ottawa , Kingston, Midland, Waterloo, Owen Sound, Brockville, Cobourg , Whitby, Toronto , and Peterborough.
“When we don’t care what happens to our water treatment plants, the same thing can happen with water as what happened to health care in the United States,” said Ryan, in Midland.
Since the tour, Ontario has seen full or partial bans in a number of communities. Most recently, Niagara Falls voted to stop selling bottled water at city facilities, despite last-minute lobbying efforts from Nestle Waters Canada.
“When a city with the international profile of Niagara Falls recognizes this, and recognizes its responsibility to improve access to public water supplies, the days of bottled water are numbered across Canada and around the world,” said Barlow.
With the first phase of the `tour declared a huge success, CUPE Ontario added a Northern Ontario phase to begin soon. Unbottle it! will be in Sault Ste Marie, Sudbury, Kenora, Thunder Bay and North Bay in April, with dates and venues to be announced.
Along with the Council of Canadians and other trade unions, Sid Ryan is working to unmask these secretly negotiated domestic trade initiatives that will be incompatible with societal goals such as stimulating local economies, maintaining a universal health care system, and protecting the environment.
In reality there are few, if any, barriers to interprovincial trade, investment and labour mobility. Canadians are already free to live, work and invest anywhere in this country they choose. There are no customs stations along provincial borders and no tariffs on interprovincial trade. The true purpose of this domestic ‘trade’ agenda is to impose broad constraints on the exercise of democratic governmental and public authority. This is an agenda to promote privatization and deregulation, precisely the policies that have been ruinous for domestic and global economies. A thorough and substantive assessment of this domestic trade agenda is provided by legal opinions prepared for the Canadian Union of Public Employees by the legal firm Sack Goldblatt Mitchell.
The foundation of these interprovincial trade deals is the federal Agreement on Internal Trade (“AIT”). legislated in 1995. After signing NAFTA the federal government needed a mechanism that would directly bind the provinces to the international commitments it had undertaken. It took a significant step in this direction with the establishment of the AIT at the conclusion of NAFTA and WTO negotiations. However, the AIT suffered from two principal limitations: it did not apply to several key areas of policy and law; and, more importantly, it lacked a legally binding dispute regime that would compel provincial compliance. Several provinces are implementing bi-lateral free trade agreements that address these “limitations”. The Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (“TILMA”) that formally went into effect between Alberta and British Columbia on April 1, 2009.
Under TILMA and other such proposed agreements, dispute procedures may be invoked to challenge government policies and actions undertaken to achieve societal goals: protecting the environment, clean water, public health, maintaining public services such as health care and child care, and using public funds to stimulate local economies. This agenda will impact every level of government and public bodies. Institutions such as public hospitals, library boards, day care centres, children’s aid societies, and regulatory tribunals must comply with the AIT and other interprovincial trade agreements. Moreover it is possible to litigate any “measure” that any government or public body might take including any legislation, regulation, standard, directive, requirement, guideline, program, policy, administrative practice or other procedure.
TILMA tribunals cannot actually compel provincial legislatures, municipalities or other public bodies to abandon their policies, laws or practices. But it is simply not reasonable to expect a government to maintain a measure (or allow a municipality or other public body to do so) for which it has paid millions of dollars in penalties, particularly when there may be a queue of other parties waiting in line to make a similar claim.
Negotiations of a bi-lateral TILMA style agreement between Ontario and Quebec got underway when the Premiers signed a Joint Statement: Agreement on Enhancing the Ontario-Quebec Economic Region, on November 26, 2007. A framework for those negotiations sets out a structure for an agreement addressing investment, labour mobility and regulatory cooperation. This would also include a “binding and effective dispute resolution mechanism for specific commitments and rules under the Agreement”. CUPE Ontario, under Sid Ryan’s leadership will be in the forefront of ensuring that no undemocratic trade Deals are negotiated in the back rooms of power and finance.
Ontario voted to endorse a global campaign of boycott and divestment against the State of Israel's "apartheid-like policies" towards the Palestinians. While the resolution received support from Willie Madisha, President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions
, it was condemned by the Anti-Defamation League
as "deplorable and offensive", the Ontario director of the Canadian Jewish Congress
, and political commentator Lysiane Gagnon
, who suggested that "anti-Semitism is alive and well in Canada."
Among the supporters, Willie Madisha wrote, "With great pride, I congratulate CUPE Ontario for their historic resolution on May 27 in support of the Palestinian people -- those living under occupation and those millions of Palestinian refugees living in the Diaspora. We fully support your resolution." Carolyn Egan, President of the Steelworkers Toronto Area Council, stated that Steel workers “Respect CUPE Ontario's record of solidarity with the oppressed, both inside and outside the labour movement, and respect CUPE Ontario's initiative to educate its members and the entire labour movement on the plight of the people of Palestine, and to take practical action in defence of Palestinian human rights."
The resolution was condemned by Steven Schulman, Ontario Regional director of the Canadian Jewish Congress
(CJC), who stated that "For a respected labour union to engage in such a vote, which is completely one-sided and based on mistruths, is shocking," and the CUPE Ontario's press release regarding the vote "reads like a piece of propaganda."
In June 2007, Ryan stated that CUPE resolution against Israel "was heard around the world. While it taught me how vicious a campaign can be against those who speak out for peace and social justice, it is gratifying that support for our stand came from organizations and trade unions across the globe."
to Nazi book burning practices, a remark for which he subsequently issued an apology. He calls Israel an ever-expanding apartheid-type regime.
Ryan defended the boycott, stating that "Academic freedom goes both ways. What we are saying is if they want to remain silent and be complicit in these kinds of actions, why should they enjoy the freedom to come and teach in other countries like Canada?" Ryan reacted to criticism in The Toronto Sun, stating that it was "tantamount to a new form of McCarthyism
," and pointed out that Gandhi called for an academic boycott to end British rule in India.
Ryan and CUPE were sharply criticised by Jonathan Kay
, a columnist for the National Post
, who called it "disgusting anti-Israeli bigtory", the Canadian Jewish Congress
and
Frank Dimant, Vice-President of Bnai Brith Canada, who said "Public unions should not be used as breeding grounds for negatively singling out one group of people and denying them their basic rights and freedoms." Paul Davenport, President of the University of Western Ontario
(UWO), stated that UWO will not participate in any boycott against Israel, stating that "We believe in academic freedom ... it is simply very unwise to try to eliminate interactions between academics."
Michael Coren
, in a column for the National Post
, wrote that Ryan was "absolutely and fundamentally" wrong to support a boycott of Israel. However, he argued that Ryan is not anti-Semitic, stating that ``to call him an anti-Semite is not only unfair to him but also dilutes the genuine repugnance of authentic anti-Semitism`.
Michael Taube, a public affairs analyst and commentator, and a former speechwriter for Prime Minister Stephen Harper
, rejected allegations that Ryan is anti-Semitic, stating that "I can count the number of times we’ve agreed on an issue with one hand – and I’m probably being generous with a finger or two. But I’ve never seen, heard or witnessed anything that would lead me to believe that Ryan hates Jews and/or the Jewish community.” However, he added that Ryan supports "the creation of an atmosphere that stifles free speech on university campuses and supports a type of jackboot progressive politics."
Michael Neumann
, a philosophy
professor at Trent University
in Peterborough
, said he agreed with preventing his Israeli colleagues from working in Ontario, and said "If people believe these are extreme circumstances and it will do some good, then I think it's reasonable and perhaps justified."
CUPE's national president, Paul Moist
, rebuked Ryan and issued a statement declaring his opposition to the motion saying, "I believe such a resolution is wrong and would violate the anti-discrimination standards set out in the CUPE Constitution... I will be using my influence in any debates on such a resolution to oppose its adoption."
On January 13, approximately 8 days after its initial announcement, the CUPE removed its call to boycott individual academics from its website and replaced it with statement that stated that called instead for a boycott "aimed at academic institutions and the institutional connections that exist between universities here and those in Israel." The National Post
noted that although the original statement mentioned Ryan three times and listed him as the point of contact, the new resolution did not mention Ryan at all.
The Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians
expressed support for the resolution, stating that “We think it perfectly appropriate for a Canadian union to seek some means of counteracting the Canadian government’s reckless support for Israeli government intransigence -- for example, by trying to destabilize the elected government of the Palestinian authority.”
Bruce Katz, Jewish co-president of Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU) Montreal, stated, “I wish to congratulate you and CUPE Ontario for your valiant support for the cause of Palestinian human rights…”
Bernie Farber, CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress
(CJC), stated that resolution was discriminatory and anti-Semitic and proves that "anti-Semitism is once again amongst us." Farber also stated that "It's devious, it's disingenuous. They talk about Israeli universities and partnerships. What makes up a partnership? Israeli academics and Canadian academics make up a partnership. You're still talking about people, except you're hiding it. It means you are prepared to boycott your fellow academic and it's absolutely disgusting. I found it profoundly disappointing that people would just sit back and not get it, that they would plunge into this dark hole of anti-Semitism."
Mark Goldberg, vice-chairman of CJC Ontario Region, accused CUPE of being disengenious with its claim that the boycott was not directed at individual academics, asking rhetorically: "How do you boycott institutions without boycotting individuals in the process?" He also stated "to support the proposed discriminatory resolution represents another low point in the proud history of the Canadian labour movement's involvement in international affairs. The changes that were made to this resolution since it was first announced are cosmetic at best and do nothing to alter the basic discriminatory elements." He also
Len Rudner, also with CJC Ontario Region, stated that: "While workers face an uncertain economic future and students at one of Canada's largest universities are scrambling to recover from a lengthy strike that has jeopardized the current academic year, it boggles the mind to consider that CUPE Ontario's leadership has no matter more pressing than promoting a resolution that is bigoted on its face and discriminatory in its intent. It is unfair, unbalanced and unhelpful."
B'nai Brith Canada
called the resolution "discriminatory and racist." Frank Dimant, B’nai Brith Canada’s executive vice-president, stated that the motion “marginalizes its supporters here at home and disenfranchises CUPE members who are supportive of democratic Israel and its right to defend its citizens against terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.” He also stated that everyone who voted in favour of the resolution was “promoting hatred and advancing a discriminatory agenda that is at odds with Canadian values of tolerance, respect and human rights for all.
In a letter (which was published in the National Post
), a group of members of CUPE 3902 at University of Toronto sharply criticized Ryan and the Resolution. They argued any boycott of academic institutions is an attack on freedom of thought and violates the spirit of the union’s constitution. The letter also stated that "Sid Ryan seems to think that he and his closest colleagues have the right to determine which academics we ought to listen to and which ought to be censored." The letter concluded with a call of Ryan to resign from his position.
The Conservative Government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper
criticized the CUPE Ontario resolution again Israel as "intolerant." The opposition Liberal Party also sharply criticized the resolution.
and the Sinn Féin
.
He has written a number of columns and pieces on the violence in his homeland, including an article in the Toronto Sun titled "The Orange, the Green ... and 'the troubles.'"
During the 2004 federal election campaign, in which he ran as an NDP candidate, a Conservative Party member produced a leaflet featured a picture of Mr. Ryan standing beside Alec Maskey, former Lord Mayor of Belfast. The leaflet was thought to imply that the photo was taken at a Friends of Sinn Féin fundraiser. In response, Ryan's campaign team released a press release emphasizing that the photo was taken at a fundraiser for the Ireland Fund of Canada, a non profit and non partisan charitable organization.
In 2007, Sid Ryan introduced Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams
on the Toronto
stop of Adams' speaking tour of North America. Adams was in Toronto to thank those that contributed to the peace process in Northern Ireland.
's Social Justice Award at their 40th anniversary dinner held in Toronto on June 16, 2007. Ryan was recognised for his work as an International Peace Observer in Northern Ireland and his championing of Palestinian rights, specifically, his strong support for CUPE Ontario's Resolution 50 which calls for union members to support the international campaign of boycott, diverstment and sanctions against Israel.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
) is president of the Ontario Federation of Labour
Ontario Federation of Labour
The Ontario Federation of Labour is a prominent federation of labour unions in the Canadian province of Ontario. The original OFL was established by the Canadian Congress of Labour in 1944...
and a longtime Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
labour union leader and politician.
Biography
Sid Ryan is well known for his political and social activism both locally and internationally.Born in Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, and third eldest of ten children, Ryan immigrated to Canada at age 23. He and his wife Sheila have three daughters: Lisa, Susan, and Amanda.
Ryan helped to organize a United Steelworkers of America (USWA) local where he worked shortly after arriving in Canada. He has been a Canadian Union of Public Employees
Canadian Union of Public Employees
The Canadian Union of Public Employees is a Canadian trade union serving the public sector - although it has in recent years organized workplaces in the non-profit and para-public sector as well...
(CUPE) activist since he went to work for Ontario Hydro
Ontario Hydro
Ontario Hydro was the official name from 1974 of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario which was established in 1906 by the provincial Power Commission Act to build transmission lines to supply municipal utilities with electricity generated by private companies already operating at Niagara...
in 1976. He served as CUPE Ontario president from 1992 to 2009, representing 225,000 workers in the public sector. CUPE is the Canada's largest and fastest growing union with nearly 600,000 members. CUPE Ontario is the largest provincial division. Ryan also served as general vice-president of CUPE National until 2009.
Under Sid Ryan’s leadership, CUPE Ontario focused on issues such as privatization, forced mergers, cutbacks, and restructuring. Ryan continues to lead major campaigns and proactively influence policy and legislative decisions in health care, municipal, school board, social service, and university sectors. He is a proponent of increasing the accessibility of university education across Ontario.
Ryan appears regularly on Michael Coren Live and CHEX TV Durham, and writes a bi-weekly column for the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
. He is also a frequent guest on TV Ontario’s current affairs programs. He is a frequent speaker in the Canadian labour movement.
Ryan has been recruited by Human rights groups to act as a Canadian peace observer in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, to march alongside members of the United Farm Workers
United Farm Workers
The United Farm Workers of America is a labor union created from the merging of two groups, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee led by Filipino organizer Larry Itliong, and the National Farm Workers Association led by César Chávez...
in California and to lobby Texas politicians for a commutation of Stanley Faulder
Stanley Faulder
Joseph Stanley Faulder was the first Canadian citizen to be executed in the United States since 1952.Stanley Faulder, a Jasper, Alberta native, was convicted for murdering Inez Scarborough Phillips, a 75 year old woman, in Texas in 1975 during a robbery in her house...
's death sentence.
He has worked for the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
during every election since arriving in Canada. He ran for the party provincially in 1999
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, 2003
Ontario general election, 2003
The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
and 2007
Ontario general election, 2007
The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, winning 71 out of a possible 107 seats with 42.2% of the popular...
, as well as federally in 2004
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
and 2006
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
. He is the recipient of the Canada 125 Medal
125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal
The 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada...
, presented to Canadian citizens for their contributions to the good of the community and society in general.
In November 2009, Ryan was acclaimed to the position of president of the Ontario Federation of Labour
Ontario Federation of Labour
The Ontario Federation of Labour is a prominent federation of labour unions in the Canadian province of Ontario. The original OFL was established by the Canadian Congress of Labour in 1944...
.
Work with New Democratic Party
In addition to his union activities, Ryan has been involved with the New Democratic PartyNew Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
(NDP) since the 1980s. He has served on the Ontario NDP
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
's provincial council and Environment committee, and is a former president of the Durham Centre
Durham Centre
Durham Centre was a provincial electoral district in the Durham Region. Created in 1987, the riding contained the town of Whitby from south of Taunton Road...
riding association
Riding association
In Canadian politics a riding association , officially called an electoral district association is the basic unit of a political party, that is it is the party's organization at the level of the electoral district, or "riding"...
.
Ryan's affiliation with the Ontario NDP became tenuous in the early 1990s, when the party moved to the right under Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
's leadership. On one occasion, he referred to the Rae government's Social Contract
Social contract
The social contract is an intellectual device intended to explain the appropriate relationship between individuals and their governments. Social contract arguments assert that individuals unite into political societies by a process of mutual consent, agreeing to abide by common rules and accept...
bill as the most anti-labour piece of legislation he had ever seen. He has since re-aligned himself with the provincial party under Howard Hampton
Howard Hampton
Howard George Hampton, MPP is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He has served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, since 1987 as the Member of Provincial Parliament from the northern riding of Kenora—Rainy River. A member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, he was also the party's...
's leadership.
Ryan has stood as an NDP candidate in three provincial and two federal election campaigns, but has not to date won election to a legislative body. He contested Scarborough Centre
Scarborough Centre (provincial electoral district)
Scarborough Centre is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1963.It consists of the part of the Scarborough district of the City of Toronto bounded:...
in the 1999 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, and finished third behind Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
incumbent Marilyn Mushinski
Marilyn Mushinski
Marilyn Mushinski is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister under Mike Harris.-Background:...
and Liberal Costas Manios
Liberal Party candidates, 1999 Ontario provincial election
The Ontario Liberal Party ran a full slate of 103 candidates in the 1999 provincial election, and elected 35 Members of Provincial Parliament to form the official opposition in the provincial legislature...
. In the 2003 provincial election
Ontario general election, 2003
The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, he campaigned in Oshawa
Oshawa (electoral district)
Oshawa is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968....
and came within 1,109 votes of defeating PC incumbent Jerry Ouellette
Jerry Ouellette
Jerry J. Ouellette is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1995, representing the riding of Oshawa for the Progressive Conservative Party. Ouellette was Minister of Natural Resources in the government of Ernie Eves.Ouellette graduated...
. Ryan moved the NDP's vote from around 5000 to over 18,000 during the course of his campaigns in Oshawa.
Ryan also stood as a candidate for Oshawa in the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
, and lost to Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
Colin Carrie
Colin Carrie
Colin Carrie is a Canadian politician. He is a current member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Oshawa in the province of Ontario for the Conservative Party of Canada.-Personal life:...
by 463 votes in a very close three-way race. He ran again in the 2006 election, but, despite considerable support from the federal NDP leader Jack Layton and CAW head Buzz Hargrove, lost by 2,802 votes to incumbent Carrie.
During the last few days of the 2006 election campaign, Alan Clarke, in a flyer reminding the Membership of CAW Local 222 that the Local was prohibited from supporting Mr. Ryan's campaign by a 1993 binding referendum, showed Mr. Ryan having a beer with Alex Maskey who was reportedly twice interned for being a member of the IRA. Mr. Maskey later became Lord Mayor of Belfast, a position appointed by Council. Carrie's campaign has denied being involved, with manager Andrew Morin suggesting that the leaflet is a product of union squabbling over an endorsement by the Canadian Auto Workers. Morin and Ryan have stated that the two campaigns are otherwise on good terms. Elections Canada has since laid two charges of breaching the Elections Act against Clarke, while Ryan also filed a civil suit. Mr. Clarke was later found innocent of the Elections Canada charges and has filed a counter-suit against Mr. Ryan. Ryan has alleged that Clarke was working on Carrie's 2006 campaign, which Morin had earlier denied.
In the 2007 Ontario provincial election
Ontario general election, 2007
The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, winning 71 out of a possible 107 seats with 42.2% of the popular...
, Ryan challenged Ouellette for the second time, losing by over 2500 votes, a larger margin than in 2003.
OMERS and Bill 206
For more than 10 years Ryan waged a battle with the provincial government to change the governance of the OMERSOMERS
OMERS, officially the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, is a pension fund created by statute in 1962 to handle the retirement benefits of local government employees in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has become one of the largest institutional investors in Canada. About 70% of...
pension plan. Ryan wanted the government to allow the stakeholders to have control over investments and day to day governance of the plan. Pension surpluses were not being used to raise pensions for some plan members.
In 2006, Ryan threatened a political strike after Premier Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
brought in Bill 206, which would change the administration of OMERS but would not fully address CUPE's concerns. However, this met with resistance from a small number of CUPE locals. The employer organization AMO (Association of Municipalities Ontario), together with OMERS administrators fought, to stop Ryan's campaign. McGuinty agreed to make some changes to address CUPE's concerns but refused to withdraw the bill. In Sept, 2008 Ryan was appointed to the Board of Directors of OMERS. OMERS is the 4th largest pension plan in Canada with assets of around $50B.
Tap Into Public Drinking Water
CUPE Ontario's Sid Ryan and The Council of Canadians Maude Barlow teamed up in a 15 city tour of Ontario to promote public drinking water systems and to oppose the bottle water industry. Barlow has just been appointed a senior advisor on water to the President of the UN General Assembly. The ultimate goal of the campaign is to have the Ontario Government initiate a ban on the sale of bottled water in public buildings and facilities such as schools, universities, municipal buildings and hospitals. The campaign was successful in getting London City Council to sponsor a resolution to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) urging the FCM to call upon all municipalities to consider phasing out the sale and purchase of bottled water from their facilities.www.unbottleit.orgThe tour saw great turnouts at stops in Windsor, London, Guelph, Hamilton, St Catharines, Ottawa , Kingston, Midland, Waterloo, Owen Sound, Brockville, Cobourg , Whitby, Toronto , and Peterborough.
“When we don’t care what happens to our water treatment plants, the same thing can happen with water as what happened to health care in the United States,” said Ryan, in Midland.
Since the tour, Ontario has seen full or partial bans in a number of communities. Most recently, Niagara Falls voted to stop selling bottled water at city facilities, despite last-minute lobbying efforts from Nestle Waters Canada.
“When a city with the international profile of Niagara Falls recognizes this, and recognizes its responsibility to improve access to public water supplies, the days of bottled water are numbered across Canada and around the world,” said Barlow.
With the first phase of the `tour declared a huge success, CUPE Ontario added a Northern Ontario phase to begin soon. Unbottle it! will be in Sault Ste Marie, Sudbury, Kenora, Thunder Bay and North Bay in April, with dates and venues to be announced.
Interprovincial trade agreements and TILMA
Sid Ryan and CUPE Ontario are currently in the forefront of the fight to prevent the negotiation of a bi-lateral TILMA style agreement between Ontario and Quebec. These are underway in accordance with a Joint Statement: Agreement on Enhancing the Ontario-Quebec Economic Region signed by the Premiers on November 26, 2007. These negotiations aim at establishing a “binding and effective dispute resolution mechanism for specific commitments and rules under the Agreement” and are the foundation of a “Corporate Bill of Rights”.Along with the Council of Canadians and other trade unions, Sid Ryan is working to unmask these secretly negotiated domestic trade initiatives that will be incompatible with societal goals such as stimulating local economies, maintaining a universal health care system, and protecting the environment.
In reality there are few, if any, barriers to interprovincial trade, investment and labour mobility. Canadians are already free to live, work and invest anywhere in this country they choose. There are no customs stations along provincial borders and no tariffs on interprovincial trade. The true purpose of this domestic ‘trade’ agenda is to impose broad constraints on the exercise of democratic governmental and public authority. This is an agenda to promote privatization and deregulation, precisely the policies that have been ruinous for domestic and global economies. A thorough and substantive assessment of this domestic trade agenda is provided by legal opinions prepared for the Canadian Union of Public Employees by the legal firm Sack Goldblatt Mitchell.
The foundation of these interprovincial trade deals is the federal Agreement on Internal Trade (“AIT”). legislated in 1995. After signing NAFTA the federal government needed a mechanism that would directly bind the provinces to the international commitments it had undertaken. It took a significant step in this direction with the establishment of the AIT at the conclusion of NAFTA and WTO negotiations. However, the AIT suffered from two principal limitations: it did not apply to several key areas of policy and law; and, more importantly, it lacked a legally binding dispute regime that would compel provincial compliance. Several provinces are implementing bi-lateral free trade agreements that address these “limitations”. The Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (“TILMA”) that formally went into effect between Alberta and British Columbia on April 1, 2009.
Under TILMA and other such proposed agreements, dispute procedures may be invoked to challenge government policies and actions undertaken to achieve societal goals: protecting the environment, clean water, public health, maintaining public services such as health care and child care, and using public funds to stimulate local economies. This agenda will impact every level of government and public bodies. Institutions such as public hospitals, library boards, day care centres, children’s aid societies, and regulatory tribunals must comply with the AIT and other interprovincial trade agreements. Moreover it is possible to litigate any “measure” that any government or public body might take including any legislation, regulation, standard, directive, requirement, guideline, program, policy, administrative practice or other procedure.
TILMA tribunals cannot actually compel provincial legislatures, municipalities or other public bodies to abandon their policies, laws or practices. But it is simply not reasonable to expect a government to maintain a measure (or allow a municipality or other public body to do so) for which it has paid millions of dollars in penalties, particularly when there may be a queue of other parties waiting in line to make a similar claim.
Negotiations of a bi-lateral TILMA style agreement between Ontario and Quebec got underway when the Premiers signed a Joint Statement: Agreement on Enhancing the Ontario-Quebec Economic Region, on November 26, 2007. A framework for those negotiations sets out a structure for an agreement addressing investment, labour mobility and regulatory cooperation. This would also include a “binding and effective dispute resolution mechanism for specific commitments and rules under the Agreement”. CUPE Ontario, under Sid Ryan’s leadership will be in the forefront of ensuring that no undemocratic trade Deals are negotiated in the back rooms of power and finance.
2006-2007 resolution and statements
In 2006, under Sid Ryan's leadership, CUPECanadian Union of Public Employees
The Canadian Union of Public Employees is a Canadian trade union serving the public sector - although it has in recent years organized workplaces in the non-profit and para-public sector as well...
Ontario voted to endorse a global campaign of boycott and divestment against the State of Israel's "apartheid-like policies" towards the Palestinians. While the resolution received support from Willie Madisha, President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions
Congress of South African Trade Unions
The Congress of South African Trade Unions is a trade union federation in South Africa. It was founded in 1985 and is the biggest of the country’s three main trade union federations, with 21 affiliated trade unions, altogether organising 1.8 million workers.-Establishment:COSATU was established in...
, it was condemned by the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
as "deplorable and offensive", the Ontario director of the Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish Congress
The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...
, and political commentator Lysiane Gagnon
Lysiane Gagnon
Lysiane Gagnon is a journalist based in Quebec. She has written for Montreal's La Presse since 1980 and Toronto's Globe and Mail since 1990.- Biography :...
, who suggested that "anti-Semitism is alive and well in Canada."
Among the supporters, Willie Madisha wrote, "With great pride, I congratulate CUPE Ontario for their historic resolution on May 27 in support of the Palestinian people -- those living under occupation and those millions of Palestinian refugees living in the Diaspora. We fully support your resolution." Carolyn Egan, President of the Steelworkers Toronto Area Council, stated that Steel workers “Respect CUPE Ontario's record of solidarity with the oppressed, both inside and outside the labour movement, and respect CUPE Ontario's initiative to educate its members and the entire labour movement on the plight of the people of Palestine, and to take practical action in defence of Palestinian human rights."
The resolution was condemned by Steven Schulman, Ontario Regional director of the Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish Congress
The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...
(CJC), who stated that "For a respected labour union to engage in such a vote, which is completely one-sided and based on mistruths, is shocking," and the CUPE Ontario's press release regarding the vote "reads like a piece of propaganda."
In June 2007, Ryan stated that CUPE resolution against Israel "was heard around the world. While it taught me how vicious a campaign can be against those who speak out for peace and social justice, it is gratifying that support for our stand came from organizations and trade unions across the globe."
2009 resolution
In January 2009, Sid Ryan expressed strong support for a proposal to ban Israeli academics from teaching at Ontario Universities. Ryan stated that "we are ready to say Israeli academics should not be on our campuses unless they explicitly condemn the university bombing and the assault on Gaza in general." Ryan later made a remark comparing an Israeli bombing that caused damage to the Islamic University of GazaIslamic University of Gaza
Islamic University of Gaza is an independent Palestinian university established in 1978 in Gaza City, Palestinian territories. The university, according to its website, has 10 faculties capable of awarding either B.A., B.Sc., M.A., M.Sc., Diploma and higher diploma in their respective disciplines...
to Nazi book burning practices, a remark for which he subsequently issued an apology. He calls Israel an ever-expanding apartheid-type regime.
Ryan defended the boycott, stating that "Academic freedom goes both ways. What we are saying is if they want to remain silent and be complicit in these kinds of actions, why should they enjoy the freedom to come and teach in other countries like Canada?" Ryan reacted to criticism in The Toronto Sun, stating that it was "tantamount to a new form of McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
," and pointed out that Gandhi called for an academic boycott to end British rule in India.
Reaction
Ryan and CUPE were sharply criticised by Jonathan Kay
Jonathan Kay
Jonathan Hillel Kay is Comment Pages Editor for the Toronto-based Canadian daily newspaper National Post, a columnist for the Post op-ed page, a blogger for the Post web site, a book author and editor, and a public speaker. He is also a regular contributor to Commentary Magazine and the New York...
, a columnist for the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
, who called it "disgusting anti-Israeli bigtory", the Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish Congress
The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...
and
Frank Dimant, Vice-President of Bnai Brith Canada, who said "Public unions should not be used as breeding grounds for negatively singling out one group of people and denying them their basic rights and freedoms." Paul Davenport, President of the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
(UWO), stated that UWO will not participate in any boycott against Israel, stating that "We believe in academic freedom ... it is simply very unwise to try to eliminate interactions between academics."
Michael Coren
Michael Coren
Michael Coren is an English-Canadian columnist, author, public speaker, radio host and television talk show host. He hosted the television talk show The Michael Coren Show on the Crossroads Television System from 1999 to 2011 when he moved to the Sun News Network to host an evening talk show, The...
, in a column for the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
, wrote that Ryan was "absolutely and fundamentally" wrong to support a boycott of Israel. However, he argued that Ryan is not anti-Semitic, stating that ``to call him an anti-Semite is not only unfair to him but also dilutes the genuine repugnance of authentic anti-Semitism`.
Michael Taube, a public affairs analyst and commentator, and a former speechwriter for Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
, rejected allegations that Ryan is anti-Semitic, stating that "I can count the number of times we’ve agreed on an issue with one hand – and I’m probably being generous with a finger or two. But I’ve never seen, heard or witnessed anything that would lead me to believe that Ryan hates Jews and/or the Jewish community.” However, he added that Ryan supports "the creation of an atmosphere that stifles free speech on university campuses and supports a type of jackboot progressive politics."
Michael Neumann
Michael Neumann
Michael Neumann is a professor of philosophy at Trent University in Ontario, Canada. He is the author of What's Left? Radical Politics and the Radical Psyche , The Rule of Law: Politicizing Ethics and The Case Against Israel , and has published papers on utilitarianism and rationality.-Background...
, a philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
professor at Trent University
Trent University
Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
in Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
, said he agreed with preventing his Israeli colleagues from working in Ontario, and said "If people believe these are extreme circumstances and it will do some good, then I think it's reasonable and perhaps justified."
CUPE's national president, Paul Moist
Paul Moist
Paul Moist is national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees , Canada's largest trade union.-Career:Moist has been a CUPE member since he was a teenager, working first as a lifeguard, then as a greenhouse attendant for the City of Winnipeg...
, rebuked Ryan and issued a statement declaring his opposition to the motion saying, "I believe such a resolution is wrong and would violate the anti-discrimination standards set out in the CUPE Constitution... I will be using my influence in any debates on such a resolution to oppose its adoption."
On January 13, approximately 8 days after its initial announcement, the CUPE removed its call to boycott individual academics from its website and replaced it with statement that stated that called instead for a boycott "aimed at academic institutions and the institutional connections that exist between universities here and those in Israel." The National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
noted that although the original statement mentioned Ryan three times and listed him as the point of contact, the new resolution did not mention Ryan at all.
Revised resolution
On February 22, 2009, the CUPE's university workers passed resolution calling for its members at Ontario universities to boycott working with Israeli institutions doing research that benefits that nation's military but not individual academics. Ryan stated that he was wrong when he proposed a ban on Israeli academics who do not condemn attacks on Gaza. Ryan stated that the new resolution "is not about individual academics, this has nothing to do with individual academics. That was a mistake that I made at the very beginning when we actually talked about this campaign." He defended the new resolution as "following a long tradition and a peaceful tradition of using the pressures of a boycott in a peaceful way to bring pressure to bear on the state of Israel to end this illegal occupation."Praise
The Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians
Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians
Independent Jewish Voices describes itself as representing Jews in Canada who have in common a strong commitment to social justice and universal human rights.The organization was founded in 2008 as a result of the national Independent Jewish Canadian Conference.IJV promotes the expression of...
expressed support for the resolution, stating that “We think it perfectly appropriate for a Canadian union to seek some means of counteracting the Canadian government’s reckless support for Israeli government intransigence -- for example, by trying to destabilize the elected government of the Palestinian authority.”
Bruce Katz, Jewish co-president of Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU) Montreal, stated, “I wish to congratulate you and CUPE Ontario for your valiant support for the cause of Palestinian human rights…”
Criticism
Bernie Farber, CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish Congress
The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...
(CJC), stated that resolution was discriminatory and anti-Semitic and proves that "anti-Semitism is once again amongst us." Farber also stated that "It's devious, it's disingenuous. They talk about Israeli universities and partnerships. What makes up a partnership? Israeli academics and Canadian academics make up a partnership. You're still talking about people, except you're hiding it. It means you are prepared to boycott your fellow academic and it's absolutely disgusting. I found it profoundly disappointing that people would just sit back and not get it, that they would plunge into this dark hole of anti-Semitism."
Mark Goldberg, vice-chairman of CJC Ontario Region, accused CUPE of being disengenious with its claim that the boycott was not directed at individual academics, asking rhetorically: "How do you boycott institutions without boycotting individuals in the process?" He also stated "to support the proposed discriminatory resolution represents another low point in the proud history of the Canadian labour movement's involvement in international affairs. The changes that were made to this resolution since it was first announced are cosmetic at best and do nothing to alter the basic discriminatory elements." He also
Len Rudner, also with CJC Ontario Region, stated that: "While workers face an uncertain economic future and students at one of Canada's largest universities are scrambling to recover from a lengthy strike that has jeopardized the current academic year, it boggles the mind to consider that CUPE Ontario's leadership has no matter more pressing than promoting a resolution that is bigoted on its face and discriminatory in its intent. It is unfair, unbalanced and unhelpful."
B'nai Brith Canada
B'nai Brith Canada
B'nai Brith Canada is the Canadian section of B'nai Brith . It was founded in 1875 and is the country's oldest Jewish service organization.-Members:...
called the resolution "discriminatory and racist." Frank Dimant, B’nai Brith Canada’s executive vice-president, stated that the motion “marginalizes its supporters here at home and disenfranchises CUPE members who are supportive of democratic Israel and its right to defend its citizens against terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.” He also stated that everyone who voted in favour of the resolution was “promoting hatred and advancing a discriminatory agenda that is at odds with Canadian values of tolerance, respect and human rights for all.
In a letter (which was published in the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
), a group of members of CUPE 3902 at University of Toronto sharply criticized Ryan and the Resolution. They argued any boycott of academic institutions is an attack on freedom of thought and violates the spirit of the union’s constitution. The letter also stated that "Sid Ryan seems to think that he and his closest colleagues have the right to determine which academics we ought to listen to and which ought to be censored." The letter concluded with a call of Ryan to resign from his position.
The Conservative Government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
criticized the CUPE Ontario resolution again Israel as "intolerant." The opposition Liberal Party also sharply criticized the resolution.
Ireland
Sid Ryan has a long-standing involvement with the Irish peace process, including acting as three-time International Peace Observer to the process between the Protestant Democratic Unionist PartyDemocratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
and the Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
.
He has written a number of columns and pieces on the violence in his homeland, including an article in the Toronto Sun titled "The Orange, the Green ... and 'the troubles.'"
During the 2004 federal election campaign, in which he ran as an NDP candidate, a Conservative Party member produced a leaflet featured a picture of Mr. Ryan standing beside Alec Maskey, former Lord Mayor of Belfast. The leaflet was thought to imply that the photo was taken at a Friends of Sinn Féin fundraiser. In response, Ryan's campaign team released a press release emphasizing that the photo was taken at a fundraiser for the Ireland Fund of Canada, a non profit and non partisan charitable organization.
In 2007, Sid Ryan introduced Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
on the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
stop of Adams' speaking tour of North America. Adams was in Toronto to thank those that contributed to the peace process in Northern Ireland.
Awards
Sid Ryan was awarded the Canadian Arab FederationCanadian Arab Federation
The Canadian Arab Federation was formed in 1967 to represent the interests of Arab Canadians with respect to the formulation of public policy in Canada. It presently consists of over 40 member organizations....
's Social Justice Award at their 40th anniversary dinner held in Toronto on June 16, 2007. Ryan was recognised for his work as an International Peace Observer in Northern Ireland and his championing of Palestinian rights, specifically, his strong support for CUPE Ontario's Resolution 50 which calls for union members to support the international campaign of boycott, diverstment and sanctions against Israel.