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BCGEU to honour Dr. Cindy Blackstock with Spirit of Leadership award at 51st convention

Published on June 09, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2021

BCGEU to honour Dr. Cindy Blackstock with Spirit of Leadership award at 51st convention

BURNABY, B.C. COAST SALISH TERRITORIES – on Thursday, June 10, at the 51st convention of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU), Dr. Cindy Blackstock will be honoured with the Spirit of Leadership award, a triennial honour which the union bestows upon an individual or organization for their contributions to social issues.
Who: Dr. Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of CanadaWhat: 2021 BCGEU Spirit of Leadership AwardWhen: Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 10:00 amWhere: Online at https://www.bcgeu.ca/live Visuals: Dr. Cindy Blackstock and BCGEU President Stephanie Smith speaking at podium

Dr. Blackstock is one of Canada's leading advocates and activists for Indigenous children and youth. In addition to publishing over 75 articles on reconciliation, Indigenous theory, First Nations child welfare and human rights, Dr. Blackstock was part of a team that filed successful, landmark human rights challenge on Canada's inequitable provision of child and family services and failure to implement Jordan's Principle. 

She speaks regularly on issues of child welfare and fairness for Indigenous children, including at BCGEU events such as the Closing the Circle report on Indigenous child welfare in B.C. She is also a former member of the BCGEU.

Previous recipients of the BCGEU Spirit of Leadership Award have included Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, the former BC Representative for Children and Youth, and CoDevelopment Canada, a solidarity organization working for social justice and global education in the Americas.

The BCGEU is one of the largest, most diverse and fastest growing unions in B.C. with more than 82,000 members working in almost every community and economic sector in the province. The BCGEU's triennial convention, postponed from 2020 due to COVID-19, is being conducted as a hybrid event with most of the 495 delegates attending virtually and minimal staff and executive members attending in person in downtown Vancouver.

For additional information, contact [email protected]

 



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