Officers
The Officers of the B.C. Federation of Labour meet bi-monthly to manage the day-to-day operational affairs of the Federation.
Sussanne Skidmore
President
Sussanne Skidmore was elected BCFED president in 2022 after being elected as the federation's secretary-treasurer in 2018 and 2020. A well-known human rights, social justice and queer rights activist, she served as executive vice-president of BCGEU for 5 years. She has co-chaired the BCFED’s Human Rights Committee and is active in the federation’s Women and Gender Rights Committee.
Hermender Singh Kailley
Secretary-Treasurer
Hermender Singh Kailley’s first involvement with the labour movement began when he helped organize his fellow Vancouver Fringe Festival workers with IATSE Local 118. After a career change in 2004, he became a member of ILWU Local 502, joining the executive board in 2018 and becoming secretary-treasurer in 2019. A first-generation Canadian born to Punjabi parents, Hermender also serves on the executive board of the New Westminster and District Labour Council.
Rob Ashton
Vice President
Prior to becoming President in 2016, Rob also served as First Vice President of ILWU Canada. A Longshore Worker since 1994 with ILWU 500 in Vancouver, Rob was elected to the Local 500 Executive Board, served on various Local committees, and was a Business Agent for five years.
Crystal Braunwarth
Vice President
Crystal Braunwarth is the Business Representative of IATSE Local 891, representing professional artists and technicians employed in the film and television industry in British Columbia. Founded in 1962, Local 891 is one of the largest locals of the IATSE, which is made up of over 135,000 members throughout North America.
Brent Calvert
Vice President
A faculty member at Capilano University since 1996 in the innovative Interactive Design program, Brent served as President of the Capilano Faculty Association from 2014 - 2020. Brent has been a member of Presidents Council at FPSE since 2014, and was elected to the position of FPSE President in June 2020.
Brian Cochrane
Vice President
Brian Cochrane is a Business Manager and member of the Executive Board of IUOE 115. Local 115 members have exceptional skill levels, a commitment to safety, pride in the important work we do, and a firm belief in our right to fair and respectful relationships with all employers.
Graeme Hutchison
Vice President
Graeme is the president of MoveUP and prior to that he served as the secretary-treasurer. Graeme also serves as the president of the Fraser Valley Labour Council. Graeme comes out of the financial sector having worked in a specialized IT role as an application developer for Community Savings Credit Union. Graeme is originally from the UK where he worked as a college and university professor before arriving in Canada. MoveUP represents nearly 14,000 union members across 100+ employers working in both public and private sector companies across Canada.
Clint Johnston
Vice President
Clint became BCTF President on July 1, 2022, after serving as a Vice-President for six years and a member-at-large before that. He began his teaching career in England before becoming an elementary school teacher in Chilliwack, and President of the Chilliwack Teachers’ Association.
Mary Lawrence
Vice President
Mary Lawrence began teaching in 2015 and has been an active member of her local union and the BCTF ever since. Mary firmly believes in the role education plays in advancing equity for all, and she sees the labour movement as an invaluable catalyst for social change. Recently, her focus has been on pushing back against the increasing tide of queerphobia in our education system.
Scott Lunny
Vice President
Scott became the Director of USW District 3 in November 2021, representing Canada’s four western provinces and three northern territories. Scott was key in negotiating the merger that brought over 12,000 members Telecommunications Workers Union into the USW, and served five years as Vice-President of the BC NDP. Since 2020, he has worked closely with the national local to support staff, provide mentorship and build a stronger future for USW members.
Jamey Mills
Vice President
Elected as PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for BC in 2017, Jamey is a PSAC young worker activist. A former President of the PSAC Vancouver Area Council, he served on the PSAC BC Regional Council as Metro Vancouver Coordinator and as Alternate Regional Executive Vice-President.
Barb Nederpel
Vice President
An active labour and women’s rights activist, and president of her local labour council, Barb was elected in 2018 as the first woman president of the 49,000-member Hospital Employees’ Union. She is a health records clerk and former LPN from Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.
Kim Novak
Vice President
A passionate advocate for social justice, UFCW 1518 President Kim Novak is committed to creating positive change on issues that matter most to members. As the former Secretary-Treasurer and a former Safeway member, Kim is a skilled negotiator with a deep understanding of the challenges members face every day at work.
Joulene Parent
Vice President
Joulene's maternal lines come from the Indigenous Dene Nation of Northern Saskatchewan, and paternal lines come from a father who was a working immigrant from Canton, China. Most of he childhood was raised in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, the unceded territory of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.She is an active Union Member of the International Longshore Warehouse Union. Currently, Joulene has been elected & re-elected to Executive position for the last 7 years Local 500 Vancouver, and sits on the ILWU Canada Board, for the past 5 years.
She is also an Facilitator for the ‘Be More Than a Bystander’, & Workplace Harassment & Violence Prevention Instructor, in her workplace.
Her past positions include Vancouver District Labour Council, as a Delegate and Co-Chair on the Women’s Committee, in addition to being a past Indigenous rep, for the BC Federation of Labour, as well as Facilitator/Co-Facilitator at the Summer Institute of Union Women, as well as Winter School at Canadian Labour Congress.
Her interests include Travel, Music, Public Speaking, Educating & Service to her Community. She enjoys walks with Her Husband Mike and Dog, Robin.
Al Phillips
Vice President
President of the BC Building Trades Council, representing 25 local craft construction unions, Al also holds the office of business manager/financial secretary of UA Local 170; representing over 4,000 journeypersons and apprentices in the pipefitting industry. A Red Seal steamfitter-pipefitter and gasfitter, Al has held many roles with UA Local 170: president, vice-president, executive board member, lead organizer, trustee and UAPICBC board member, and most recently served as executive director of UAPICBC.
Karen Ranalletta
Vice President
Karen is President of CUPE BC elected in May, 2021. CUPE BC is a provincial division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, representing 85,000 workers in more than 170 local unions and across many different sectors.Jennifer Savage
Vice President
Jennifer Savage is the National Director of CUPW, Pacific Region.
Stephanie R. Smith
Vice President
Stephanie Smith is the first woman elected president of the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), the most diverse labour union in British Columbia, representing 67,000 members at 550 different employers and B.C. government ministries.
Laura Snow
Vice President
Laura Snow was elected as President of the Compensation Employees' Union in 2019. Laura notes, “As CEU President, I am proud to represent a Membership of almost 3000 dedicated professionals that work to improve workplace safety and provide support to injured workers all across British Columbia. Although newly elected to the role of President in November of 2019, I served the prior eight years as CEU Treasurer, and I have been involved with the Union in some capacity for almost 25 years.”
Kane Tse
Vice President
Kane Tse is President of Health Sciences Association, representing over 20,000 members working in health sciences and community social services across BC. An Assistant Bioinformatics Coordinator working to analyze and interpret genomic data to assist in personalized treatment plans, Tse has served fellow members as chief steward and member organizer on key issues including paid sick leave.
Phil Venoit
Vice President
Phil became a member of the IBEW Local 230, Victoria in 1981. After 15 years of working in the construction and shipbuilding industries, as a Red Seal Construction Electrician, Phil became a Local 230 Organizer, and seven years later was elected in 2002 as the Local 230 Business Manager/ Financial Secretary.Phil has served as President of the Vancouver Island Building Trades, and the BC Building Trades, as Vice or President of the Vancouver Island Metal Trades shipyard unions, as the President of the Vancouver Island Railway Council of Unions, as a BCFED Officer twice prior to this term, as the IBEW Provincial Council Chair since 2008, and as Canada’s representative on the IBEW’s Executive Board.
Phil has served on Canada’s Employment Insurance Board of Referees, as the Chair of the Maritime Sector Advisory Board for BC’s Industry Training Authority, on Camosun College’s Board of Governors, and several other government and labour boards and committees.