Each year around the time of the Provincial Council AGM, MTS puts out the call for members to join one of the Society’s Standing Committees. These groups have informed the work of MTS for many years, bringing essential member perspectives and priorities into the work of the union. Areas of focus have included education finance, Indigenous voice, equity and social justice, curriculum development, professional development, workplace health and safety, collective bargaining, and disability benefits.
At the 104th Provincial Council, delegates passed Resolution 2023-35, directing the Provincial Executive to strike an ad hoc committee to look at ways of increasing member engagement in the union and continuing to be responsive to evolving needs.
The ad hoc’s task: Develop and recommend a revision/replacement of the current standing committee structure, scope, function, and composition. I wish to express gratitude to Lindsay Brown and Cathy Pleskach for joining me on this journey of consultation and pilot project creation. A huge thank you to MTS Staff, specifically Cheryl Chuckry and Brahim Ould Baba in his role as Director (Interim) Professional Status, along with Local association presidents, Provincial Executive members, and standing committees members, both past and present, for the guidance, dialogue and support. Your dedication to the work of the union has been vital and will continue to inform MTS efforts to engage our membership more broadly.
Pilot Project Focus
Rooted in a commitment to equity, four areas of focus have been defined to provide a foundation for the pilot project. These take into consideration the current mission, values, and objectives of the Society. They are:
- The welfare of teachers
- The cause of public education
- The status of the teaching profession
- Truth, reconciliation and justice
After a year of extensive consultation including a broadly based member survey (Educate Us: Member Survey October 2024), the pilot project proposed a format for teacher working groups. Comprised of MTS members and chaired by a member at large from the Provincial Executive, working groups are designed to be action oriented and focused on priorities as well as emerging topics and trends in education and unionism.
Once the pilot concludes in 2027, the membership would need to approve changes to the MTS bylaws, policies and budget to move forward with the working group structure.
We Need You! MTS Working Groups
A total of eight working groups of eight members each have been created.
They are:
- Education funding
- Protecting public education
- Addressing violence in the workplace
- Member well-being
- Countering hate
- Truth and reconciliation
- Promoting the profession
- Practicing the profession
We need you and your passion and expertise! Members are encouraged to review the list and submit their name to be part of a group via the online Member Engagement Form. If you want to be part of creating tangible, meaningful change both within our union and beyond, I hope you will lend your voice to this opportunity.
You’ll find more information on working groups here.
– Originally published in the Spring 2025 issue of the MB Teacher
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