In 2012, The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) launched the Carol McGregor CLC Disability Rights Award. This award will recognize the outstanding contributions of a worker with a disability who has made a significant and lasting impact in their union and/or the community by promoting and defending the rights of persons with disabilities.
The award is given annually and announced on December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Carol McGregor was a long time disability rights activist. She was the National Union of Public and General Employees’ (NUPGE) representative on the Canadian Labour Congress Disability Rights Working Group. She and her exuberant guide dog, Xayla, were a fixture at CLC conventions and Disability Rights conferences. Known as a strong advocate for injured workers, she was also featured on the poster that anchored a 2003 campaign to raise awareness and promote inclusion of workers with disabilities within unions.
Carol had outstanding skills as an advocate through her focus, discipline, commitment, analysis, and her personal capacity. She shared these skills as she helped prepare injured workers to speak to the media, to the Minister of Labour, to the Chair of the WSIB/WCB, and to audiences at injured worker events.
This award is named in her honour, as she was an outstanding Disability Rights Activist, member of NUPGE and the CLC Disability Rights Working Group―and was much loved by all those who worked with her. Carol passed away in 2006.
Criteria: Award recipients are members with a disability who are:
- Active in the labour movement and/ or community.
- Have made a significant and lasting impact in the union and/ or community by promoting and defending the rights of persons with disabilities.
- Have manifested their activism in one or more of the following ways:
- Strategized and mobilized others around workplace issues and lobbying for the full participation of Canadians with disabilities in all aspects of society.
- Developed and/ or practiced organizing strategies to include tactics aimed specifically at working people with disabilities.
- Represented members to ensure all activities and events are accessible to members with disabilities and promoting employment equity for people with disabilities within the workplace.
- Educated members about disability rights issues in the workplace and in society.
Any union member or organization may nominate a candidate.
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