OTTAWA, ONTARIO Friday, December 22, 2006 - The Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, today announced two full-time appointments to the Canada Industrial Relations Board. Mr. Norman Rivard was appointed as an employee member and Mr. André Lecavalier was selected as an employer member.
Mr. Rivard is currently chair of the Steelworkers - Industrial Wood and Allied Workers of Canada (IWA) Council. He held positions as both Vice President and National President of the former IWA, was a union president in Northern Ontario, and he was also a member of an executive board, which established and oversaw the policy and administration of the national union. Mr. Rivard became active in union committees when he first began working as a machine operator for Rexwood Products in 1967. Today, he is a certified Canadian Labour Congress union education instructor.
For 13 years, Mr. Lecavalier was Vice-President of Human Resources at Clarke Inc., where he was responsible for labour relations, compensation and benefits, training and development, recruitment, and health and safety for 1,500 employees. He also negotiated and administered numerous collective agreements across Canada and represented Clarke Inc. before tribunals. During his 21 years of service with the City of Dorval, Mr. Lecavalier's responsibilities included labour relations for the fire department's employees.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board was established on January 1, 1999, as an independent representational, quasi-judicial tribunal. Its mandate is to interpret and apply the provisions of Part I of the Canada Labour Code dealing with bargaining rights and unfair labour practices.
For more information on the Board, please visit http://www.cirb-ccri.gc.ca.
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For further information (media only):
Mr. Pierre FloréaDirector, Parliamentary Affairs and CommunicationsOffice of Minister Blackburn819-997-7826
Media Relations OfficeHuman Resources and Social Development Canada819-994-5559
