The West Kootenay Labour Council has given its stamp of approval to five local election candidates who it believes to be “labour friendly.”
In a Facebook post, the council said it is endorsing incumbent Trail mayor Colleen Jones, incumbent Trail councillor Paul Butler, incumbent Nelson mayor Janice Morrison, incumbent Warfield mayor Frank Marino (who has been returned by acclamation) and incumbent Kootenay-Columbia school trustee Birkley Valks (who has also been re-elected by acclamation).
In an interview, council president Donna Racette said they invite candidates to fill out a questionnaire. Afterward, a committee of the council reviews the applications and further vets the candidates, to ensure their answers square with their other public statements.
“Labour-friendly is you want to keep jobs local, you want to have unionized jobs, you want to stand up for workers’ rights,” Racette said. “You want to make sure that they [candidates] are for workers.
“Some people aren’t for workers at all. Jobs aren’t a priority or unions aren’t a priority. The issues that we strongly believe in, if the candidate believes in them, then we call them labour friendly.”
Racette said endorsement requires a unanimous decision from their political council. Not everyone who filled out the questionnaire received an endorsement. While there is no limit to the number of endorsements the organization will make, Racette said there are usually a handful each election cycle.
In a Facebook post, Paul Butler said he was “truly humbled and very grateful” to receive the labour council’s backing.
“This is a very meaningful endorsement to me, and one I don’t take lightly,” he said.
“While I’m not a union member myself, I’ve worked alongside union members throughout my entire career, and I’m especially grateful that the labour council has taken the time to understand my record, my approach and the relationships I’ve built within our community.”
