Mark Hancock
Mark Hancock | |
|---|---|
 Hancock at the CUPE National Convention in 2015 | |
| 6th National President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees | |
| Assumed office November 6, 2015 | |
| Secretary-Treasurer | Charles Fleury |
| Preceded by | Paul Moist |
| President of CUPE British Columbia | |
| In office April 2013 – 2015 | |
| Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE British Columbia | |
| In office May 2005 – 2013 | |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | New Democratic Party |
Mark Hancock is a Canadian trade union activist who is currently the National President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). He was elected as the sixth National President of CUPE in 2015.[1] CUPE is the largest trade union in Canada with approximately 700,000 members.[2]
Career
[edit]Hancock got his start with CUPE in 1984[3] and served as president CUPE Local 498, representing employees of the City of Port Coquitlam,[1] a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia for 15 years. Hancock was elected president of his local in 1993 and was subsequently elected to the executive board of CUPE British Columbia Division, where he served for 12 years, initially as a General Vice-President,[4] then as Secretary-Treasurer starting in 2005 and [4] finally as President of CUPE BC beginning in 2013.
Simultaneously, he served on the CUPE National Executive Board beginning in 2005 as Regional Vice-President for British Columbia. On November 4, 2016, Hancock was elected as the sixth National President of CUPE National after defeating the President of CUPE Ontario Fred Hahn at the biannual CUPE National Convention.[5] In 2017, Hancock was re-elected for another two-year term at the CUPE National Convention, as well as the 2019 National Convention and the 2021 National Convention.[citation needed]
Hancock is an adamant supporter of Canada's New Democratic Party saying he is "100-per-cent committed" to supporting the federal NDP.[1] Helives in Coquitlam, British Columbia.[citation needed]
Fred Hahn controversy
[edit]On October 7, 2023, the day Hamas attacked Israel, in which Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people and took scores captive, Fred Hahn, general vice president of CUPE, tweeted: "Palestine is rising, long live the resistance."[6] 80 Jewish members of CUPE took Hahn and CUPE Ontario to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, saying they felt “isolated, unwelcome, scared, silenced, discriminated against, threatened and harassed” by the way their union had responded since the October 7 attack.[6]
In August 2024, Hancock said that Hahn had been asked to respond to a request from the union’s national executive board that he resign due to a social media video post by Hahn that Hancock called "antisemitic."[6] Hahn, for his part, said that he was refusing to step down.[6] Richard Marceau, vice president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), opined that CUPE should remove Hahn.[6] Carrie Silverberg, one of the people who signed on to the human-rights complaint against CUPE, called Hahn's video “blatantly anti-Semitic”.[6] Ontario’s labour minister, Dave Piccini, confronted Hahn and asked him to stop being anti-Semitic, and Premier Doug Ford said that Hahn's post was "bigoted".[6][7] Hancock said that if Hahn does not resign on his own, "that’ll be new ground again for CUPE and me as a national president. I will review options available to me."[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Culbert, Lori (November 5, 2015). "B.C.'s CUPE leader elected as union's national president". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
- ^ "Canadian Union of Public Employees - About Us". Canadian Union of Public Employees.
- ^ "Mark Hancock, National President". Canadian Union of Public Employees. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
- ^ a b "Hancock to seek CUPE National Presidency". CUPE British Columbia. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
- ^ Warren, Janice (November 4, 2015). "Hancock named national CUPE president". Tri-City News. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "CUPE boss Fred Hahn refuses to resign over 'antisemitic' video," National Post.
- ^ "CUPE calls for Fred Hahn's resignation following social media post," CTV News.
- ^ "VP of Canada’s Largest Union Ignores Increased Demands to Resign After Being Accused of Antisemitism," Algemeiner.