CWA Canada election candidate statement: Carmel Smyth

Committed, Dedicated, Experienced

Media workers face exceptional challenges. Now, more than ever, our union needs an experienced leader to fight for members.
 
I am an award-winning journalist who has worked across the country for private and public broadcasting, in radio, television and online for 25 years. Most of that time I have also been a union leader and an advocate for my colleagues.
 
I have served on the CWA Canada Executive Committee and was National President of CWA Canada’s largest Local, the Canadian Media Guild, for nine years. During that time, I led many reforms that improved member service, communication, and transparency, while making financial decisions that are still saving the union money.
 
As we fight to save our industry, we need a leader with passion, energy – and experience. I have spent years lobbying regulators and politicians, and I know how to build allies and help our fellow Canadians understand the importance of what we do.
 
I’m proud to continue the fight for better pay and working conditions and against the rise of temporary work – a short-sighted policy by employers preventing a generation of motivated workers from building careers.
 
I’m also proud to have worked on many innovative national campaigns, including “Journalism Matters”, and a hugely successful public concert (featuring our favourite astronaut Chris Hadfield) at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa as part of our Save the CBC campaign.
 
And I look forward to continuing my two-decades long work fighting discrimination and promoting diversity, including starting the CMG’s first mandatory anti-racism training, curating a lunch-hour series of programs showcasing the work of LGBTQIA+ and Indigenous journalists, and initiating CBC Toronto’s first diversity events.
 
I remain a working journalist and am inspired daily by the dedication of my colleagues. I will continue to work to deserve your support.