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.
Paul Finch
Vice President
Paul Finch was elected president of the BCGEU in 2024, having been first elected as executive vice president in 2011 and subsequently serving as treasurer since 2014. Over the past decade, Paul has led efforts to create a more transparent and modernized union, establishing leading governance structures, overseeing the union’s investment management and pensions advocacy, implementing the first capital stewardship and shareholder engagement program, and designing and leading the union’s Affordable BC housing campaign and housing development strategy. Paul serves on the national executive board of NUPGE as a vice president. Diagnosed on the autism spectrum, Paul currently serves as chair of the board of directors of Autism 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.
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.
Patrick Johnson
President
Patrick served as Executive Assistant to UFCW 1518 leadership from 2016-2019 and was elected by the membership to the position of Secretary-Treasurer in 2019 and again in 2023. In June of 2024, Patrick was unanimously elected by UFCW 1518’s Executive Board to the position of President. Patrick started with the UFCW 1518 in 2009, working as an Organizer and fighting to bring the rights and benefits of the union to non-unionized workers. Since then, he has led successful organizing drives in the retail and industrial sectors and bargained many strong collective agreements, helping tip the scales toward justice for more British Columbian workers.Jennifer Savage
Vice President
Jennifer Savage is the National Director of CUPW, Pacific Region.
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.”
Annette Toth
Vice President
Annette Toth is the president of MoveUP, a union representing over 13,000 members in both the public and private sector. She was elected to the position in July 2024. Prior to that, she had been MoveUP's vice-president representing workers at ICBC since 2013. She is also the president of COPE SEPB, MoveUP's national union. Annette's experience in the labour movement goes back to 1992 when she was president of Local 4002 with the airline division of CUPE for over nine 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.