Recently, I attended the PSAC National Equity Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from May 2 to May 8, 2026. I know sometimes members don’t understand why the union spend money on these conferences, or what actually happens during them, but I am hoping to break things down in bite-sized chunks so that one day you will apply to a conference, whether it be regional or national and have a great experience!
Who Goes?
For this particular conference, you had to self-identify as being part of 2SLBGTQIA+, Racialized, Indigenous or someone with a disability AND be a member of good standing. What does this mean? You don’t need to be a steward, part of the local executive or be the Local President to go to these conferences. In fact, my first ever union conference (2023 PSAC Ontario Racially Visible Members Conference) I applied as a regular member and got in! If you see a conference that you may want to go to, please apply, as some attendees are regular members who may later end up being a Local President (like myself).
What Happens?
The PSAC National Equity Conference is actually 4 conferences in one. There is the Racialized Conference, Indigenous Conference, Pride Conference and Access Conference. Since I only self-ID as racialized, this means I was only able to attend the Racialized Conference, where I got the opportunity to participate in the racialized caucus, attend two workshops for racialized members, debate and vote on racialized resolutions, and participated in the election to determine which racialized members would attend the PSAC National Convention.
The other conferences would have the same things going on at differing times throughout the week as if you were to self-ID with multiple identities, you would attend all those conferences too! Now, what does one do when another conference is happening that you don’t self-identify with? Well, you get to attend ally sessions. I got to learn a lot more about gender identity, residential schools, and barriers that people with disabilities face and how to be better allies.
My Thoughts?
Going to a National Conference is extremely different from any Regional Conference I have been to. I had the opportunity to speak with many other activists across different components, regions, and identities and learn their stories. I encourage everyone to apply to any conference you are interested in, so that one day you may become a union activist.