A new president will be elected, and a member of Parliament (MP) will speak at TRUSU NDP Club’s upcoming annual general meeting and Labour Rally on Feb. 15 in the Brown’s Family House of Learning.
Matthew Green, an Ontario-based MP, will attend via video call, while local labour leader and president of the Kamloops and District Labour Council, Lois Rugg, will be at the event in person.
Green will give a presentation and attendees will have the opportunity to pose questions about labour laws and workers’ rights.
“Matthew Green is very passionate about the labour movement [who is] known for speaking truth to power,” said TRUSU NDP club President Levi Escobar. “He’s a very outspoken Member of Parliament and I think students will be very interested in what he has to say.”
Escobar said he’s excited for attendees to learn about wage disparities, unionization and other areas related to the topic.
“A lot of students have a job out of economic necessity. Not many people, never mind students, are aware of their rights as a worker,” Escobar said.
This event will also serve as the club’s annual general meeting, where club members will vote on a range of executive positions.
“We’re going to have all the positions open and it’s going to be a democratic process,” Escobar said.
All 11 positions, ranging from secretary to podcast director and even club president, will be open for election. Escobar will not be running for re-election as he recently became campus club liaison for British Columbia’s Young New Democrats in late November.
“I oversee all of the campus clubs in B.C.,” Escobar said. “We already got two new clubs set up in Okanagan College Penticton and Camosun College.”
According to Escobar, there are now six campus clubs in the province. In his new role, he plans to grow this number over the next year.
Currently, the TRU club has approximately 400 registered members — some of whom pitched in during a recent election.
Although local NDP candidate Kamal Grewal lost her race in the Kamloops Centre riding during the provincial election in October 2024, Escobar was proud that she accrued over 40 per cent of the vote share. He and other club members were active in door-knocking and other campaign activities.
“This demonstrates that we have the power to impact elections in a very tangible way,” Escobar said.
Escobar and the club hope the event on Feb. 15 will be an opportunity to grow the club’s reach for future elections. Prize giveaways, free pizza and snacks will be provided at the rally. Free registration for the event is required and can be found through the club’s Linktree, which is posted on their Instagram account.
Applications to run for executive positions can be found in the same location and close Feb. 8.