I’m Aloysius, and I’m running for CMG national secretary-treasurer because I believe that every dollar in dues should be used to optimally serve members and our goals for better, stronger workplaces. This means providing branches with the necessary resources to give their members the help they need, and working with the rest of the National Executive Committee to foster public support for, and trust in, our journalism and media work.

I love what we do and the people I have the privilege of working with every day. As a senior writer with the CBC’s national investigative unit, I’ve worked with teams across the country and collaborated with reporting partners outside the CBC, which has provided me with a deep respect for the value of every person who keeps the media in this nation running.

However, our industry now finds itself in a crisis. In my short but turbulent three years at CBC, I have already lived through a wave of layoffs, collective bargaining and an election that placed public broadcasting in the crosshairs. Our union siblings across the country, including TVO and The Canadian Press, have faced similar battles. It is clear how integral it is for us to band together in the face of threats to our journalism, our labour and our democracy.

I hope to pay forward the good will entrusted to me by mentors and colleagues by running in this election and serving my peers alongside several other members of the CMG Media Workers United coalition who share a vision for a unified, rejuvenated and transparent Guild.

Since becoming a CMG member, I have always been proud to be part of a larger movement, and motivated to act when I see the need for systemic change. Before joining the CBC full time as a Donaldson Scholar, I wrote and reported a 2023 Review of Journalism feature story on the culture and practice of temp work, which shone light on grassroots efforts to improve the working conditions for non-permanent employees at the public broadcaster. Today, I am currently one of three Guild members serving on the new national temporary committee, where we push to implement the new gains won for temps in the last round of collective bargaining.

I am also passionate about growing our union and ensuring our investments are aligned with our values. Earlier this May at the CMG convention, our coalition tabled several key motions. One was to expand the CMG and recruit new branches, noting the increased constraints on the Canadian media industry and the need to build solidarity in difficult times. Another I initiated was to ensure that the Guild’s investments comply with our bylaws and policies to avoid investing in business with known unethical practices, with particular reallocations recommended in two successive trustees’ reports. I hope to further develop these ideas and help them take root as secretary-treasurer, through which I would also serve as the chair of the CMG’s finance committee.

I also bring a range of financial and governance experience to this role which I hope to use for the benefit and long-term sustainability of our union. With a background in computer science and skills in data and business journalism, I hope to apply this interdisciplinary knowledge and increase financial transparency with membership. These skills have already allowed me to create and share an accessible spreadsheet for CBC members to see the real material impacts of the compensation proposed in the 2024 collective agreement during the ratification period. Prior to entering journalism, I also worked for over two years as an administrative assistant at the D.C.-based financial planning firm District Capital Management.

I’m excited to serve this community of passionate, talented and kind people at the CMG that I’ve grown to love so dearly. I hope that you’ll join me in fulfilling this vision together.

‍