A few weeks ago, I was campaigning to become Unifor’s Quebec Director. I traveled the province and visited the local unions in Quebec to listen to them and also to present my vision for the future of Unifor. I wrote down my ideas, which became my “action plan”. I spoke about integrity, transparency, accountability, listening to local unions, the need to control our finances and to add monitoring measures. I was saying that we need to free the voice of the local unions and improve democracy within our union. Finally, I mentioned that we had to rethink and increase the services to our members.

Today, we find ourselves less than a week away from the convention, a week away from the presidential elections. These elections will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the direction of Unifor. It goes without saying that what I thought was necessary when I was elected, I believe is more necessary than ever today. I have listened to the various candidates and I hear Lana talking about integrity, transparency, accountability, oversight, financial controls. I hear her talk about listening, empathy and democracy. It’s not just about talking about these things, it’s about having the courage to do them. I see Lana having that courage, that will. Not to join her at this time would be to turn my back on my own values.

The misconduct of former President Dias has deeply affected us. My belief in transparency is such that I am one who prefers to get it all out in the open, admit the wrongdoing and take the necessary steps to regain the trust of our members and the public. Some would have preferred a more discreet solution that inevitably involved hiding some of the truth from our members. I am not of that school. To try to get out of the crisis with half-truths and cover-ups is to perpetuate it. There is only light to heal these wounds. Lana has had this same stance, this same courage from the beginning. She already knew that only through complete and total transparency could we regain our integrity in the eyes of the membership. In this kind of situation, dealing with those who want the easy way out requires leadership and bravery. It was the most difficult path, but the only one we could take. Lana has shown us since the beginning of the crisis that she has these qualities. Once again, I find myself on her side.

I have often mentioned to you that a leader should not sit on the fence. In difficult times, a leader must take a stand. While it is not my place to tell you who to vote for, as a leader of the organization, I must tell you who I will vote for.

That’s why I decided to support Lana as Unifor’s presidential candidate and that’s why I decided to join the Forward Together team. I am confident that together, Gavin, Dayle, Jennifer, Len, and I, under Lana’s leadership, will be able to bring about the changes necessary to ensure that our union remains the beacon of the union community and regains its greatness by putting the interests of our members at the center of our actions. Let’s move forward. Together.

In solidarity.

Daniel Cloutier, Unifor Quebec Director

Daniel Cloutier was elected as Unifor Québec Director in April 2022. Cloutier first got involved with the union in 1989, during a labour dispute at Purolator that lasted four months. Upon returning to work, he was elected as a steward for Local 146 of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), one of the founding unions of Unifor.

He served in various capacities, including as local president before being hired as a CEP service representative in 1997. Covering a broad range of sectors provided him the opportunity to work in several regions of Québec as well as in the rest of Canada.

Cloutier has led numerous negotiations, including several at the national level, resolved strikes and arbitrations, and worked in the Health and Safety department. He also served as president of the Canadian National Representatives Union. Following the creation of Unifor in 2013, Daniel joined the Health and Safety Department, where he worked to make the Service de défense des accidentées et des accidentés du travail (SDAT) an effective tool for defending local unions and their members.

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