The Layton Prize is awarded annually to a Canadian individual or organization who has run a particularly noteworthy political or issue campaign, reflecting the ideals Jack Layton exemplified, including justice, sustainability and democracy.
The recipients of this year’s Layton Prize are CUPE Education Workers.
The work that both CUPE Ontario and the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) took on in fighting back against the draconian anti-labour stance taken by Doug Ford has galvanized the labour movement across this country. Over the last two years, OSBCU has worked to organize its membership, to the point of being able to mobilize tens of thousands of its members, most of whom are women and Black, Indigenous and Racialized workers. Those workers walked off the job, in defiance of the Conservative governments back to work legislation.
CUPE Ontario, in creating and executing the Don’t Be A Bully campaign, created an online and in person gathering space for hundreds of thousands of members of the public to be able to channel their anger against the provincial government’s disregard of the charter. Together, this work was able to achieve a huge victory – getting Doug Ford to back down and repeal his anti-worker legislation.
In recognition of campaigning that galvanized solidarity in the labour movement and community organizing in Canada for the first time in a generation, CUPE Education Workers are the 2023 recipients of the Jack Layton Progress Prize.