When I travelled to the CMG’s convention in May, I wasn’t planning on getting involved. Sure, I might have answered an email asking for freelance delegates one minute after it was sent and yes, my entire life as a disabled journalist has been self advocacy, but I was quite sure I was going to make my thoughts known, advocate for freelancers, and fly back to Saskatchewan. Because let’s face it, as I sang about in my grade six play, it’s easy to feel like  “There’s an awful lot of nothing in Saskatchewan.”

That’s not what happened.

When I went to convention I saw a group of highly engaged, empathetic, and collaborative people. I saw forthright discussions rooted in care, I saw workers fighting for each other, and I saw a space for myself there. I joined CMG Workers United for this same reason, I felt community within our ranks, and that’s why I’m also putting my name forward for the CWA Canada convention. Not just to represent freelancers, but to represent media workers across our branches. I may be the special director for CBC freelancers but I know that our goals, whether staff, temp, or otherwise, are rooted in the same cause: delivering better working conditions for Canada’s media workers.

If selected, I will work hard to bridge connections with our broader union colleagues, finding ways to ensure better results, not just at the bargaining table, but during the in-between times, where solidarity looks more like a coffee or a kind message than it does a rallying cry about a strike vote or an ongoing grievance.

We are stronger together and I have met many strong CWA members from across this country. I look forward to meeting more.