British Columbia Federation of Labour

Count Me In is an internal campaign coordinated by the B.C. Federation of Labour to ensure that union members understand the impact of politics in their communities and workplace. It's union members talking to union members about issues that matter to them. Think of it as a massive organizing drive, reaching out to over half a million union members in every community across the province.

Working people who are involved, informed and mobilized are a powerful force for positive change.

That's what we are doing with Count Me In. We are organizing ourselves to ensure that our voices have a positive impact at the ballot box and continues to work long after elections when we need to lobby all levels of government for policies that improves the lives of working families.

Q & A

Why did the B.C. Federation of Labour launch this campaign?

Working families have suffered under neo-liberal policies, perpetuated by both federal and provincial governments. Valuable public services have been cut to finance a tax cut policy that rewarded BC's wealthiest at the expense of everyone else. Real wages are falling behind as wage increases are being dwarfed by increases in inflation. Consumer debt and personal bankruptcy have increased. And the latest information on child poverty shows that BC's rate has moved up to 19 percent. In fact, for the first time since WW II children can expect to be less well off than their parents. We are rapidly becoming a society made up of the excessively wealthy and the rest of us.

Our members have come to distrust politicians and their broken promises. It will take an enormous effort to re-engage them in the political process. We know that slick television-based election campaigns alienate voters and discourage full participation in elections. We need to reverse that trend. And we need to do it ways that strengthen our capacities and connections with our members.

The centre-right political parties and their big business backers spend millions of dollars to lull voters into believing that their pro-business policies are good for working families. The labour movement knows that we could never outspend them. However, what we can do is out-organize them. After all, that's what the labour movement is all about. We're going to re-engage our members in the political process one conversation at a time.

What role does the B.C. Federation of Labour play in the Campaign?

The centrepiece of Count Me In during an election is a coordinated constituency by constituency canvass of workers by their unions. We will be asking them to describe their experiences under the present government, identify the election issues that matter most to them, and encourage them to work and vote for the party that they think is most likely to represent their family's interests..

During an election the B.C. Federation of Labour coordinate the campaign on the ground and we are bringing union members together and working with them to organize events that attract even more union members to the campaign.

What does my union do in the Campaign?

While Count Me In is the unifying Campaign, the way each union delivers it on the ground may vary.

Some unions have developed their own materials. Some are conducting workplace canvasses while others are phoning their members. Some unions are non-partisan while others are openly encouraging their members to vote for certain candidates.
You should contact your own union to find out how they fit in to Count Me In.

What can I do to participate in Count Me In?

If you are a union member and would like to volunteer please complete this survey.