Back in March 2025, CUPE National held a Building Strong Locals Conference in Montreal. CUPE members from across the country gathered in one place to build their skills on member mobilization and engagement, as well as to have conversations about defending public services against right-wing threats and bargaining to win. In this episode, CUPE co-hosts Brianna and Moe catch up with Chloe Bell, Jessica Lyons and Leila Meskine, three comrades who facilitated the “Lessons from Ontario in Building Strong Locals” panel at the conference and dive into their thoughts and perspectives on building strong locals.

Show notes:

CUPE National | Building Strong Locals Conference 2025 – https://cupe.ca/event/building-strong-locals-conference-0 

CUPE National | Building Strong Locals Conference Resources – https://cupe.ca/building-strong-locals-conference-resources 

CUPE National | Building Power Initiative presentation deck - https://cupe-my.sharepoint.com/personal/iclysdale_cupe_ca/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Ficlysdale%5Fcupe%5Fca%2FDocuments%2FBuilding%20Strong%20Locals%20Conference%202025%20%2D%20Resources%2FPanel%20%2D%20Stronger%20together&ga=1 

Toronto & York Region Labour Council - Campaign Planning Handbook – https://www.labourcouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/campaign_planning_handbook-1.pdf