By the time the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour concluded its constitutional convention in November 2022, Jessica McCormick had made history.

Having been acclaimed as the organization’s new president, at the age of 34, she became the youngest person ever elected leader of a Canadian labour federation.

While her age may have made the accomplishment remarkable, her experience and her commitment to education and the province’s labour movement made it practically inevitable.

Jessica McCormick grew up in Cape Breton, N.S. Her grandfather was a coal miner in Sydney Mines and advocated for solidarity and union involvement among his fellow miners.

By the time Ms. McCormick arrived at Memorial to study political science, she already had a sense of purpose rooted in her family’s history in the labour movement.

She began her own legacy of advocacy when she was first elected to MUNSU as a director-at-large in 2009. The following year, she was elected as executive director of external affairs, communication and research.

In her earliest campaigns for election and during her terms as a student representative, she displayed an acute awareness of the need for policy development. While policy analysis and negotiation are far from the most glamourous aspects of governance and advocacy, they’re the activities that lead to tangible reform.

Even as an undergraduate, Ms. McCormick demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of the need to increase student engagement, to listen and to advance student concerns into clear policies.

After a year as the leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador chapter of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), she made the leap to the national organization, becoming its deputy chair in 2012.

The CSF represents over 600,000 post-secondary students across Canada, and Ms. McCormick became the national chairperson of the federation in 2013. During her two years in that position, she championed accessible education, equitable funding and the importance of student voices in shaping academic policies.

During her time at Memorial, Ms. McCormick committed her efforts to improving student life and promoting inclusivity on campus. Her contributions created a more supportive and equitable environment for all students. And her leadership continues to inspire students on campus today.

 

Jessica McCormick (BA'11) leads the 2023 May Day Parade in downtown St. John’s. Photo by Tania Heath courtesy The Independent.

 

Since completing her bachelor of arts degree, she has held roles such as public relations, communications and research officer with the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE), and as director of public affairs with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor).

She earned a graduate diploma in political economy from Carleton University in 2022 and continues her work as president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL) today.

Begun in 1936, the NLFL now represents 70,000 workers across the province. As president, Ms. McCormick has focused on labour legislation reform and has emphasized the importance of unions in advocating for fair wages, safe working conditions and job security. She has also been vocal about prioritizing workers' rights and implementing policies that promote economic equity.

And she has been active in encouraging young people to become politically involved and to take up the cause of organized labour.

As an advocate for students and workers, Ms. McCormick has steadily exhibited a perceptive understanding of an ever-shifting economic landscape. Speaking at Tedx Harbourside Park in 2021, she highlighted the precarious nature of the gig economy and her adamant belief in the labour movement’s ability to generate progressive change.

“We can no longer afford to talk about what we’re willing to settle for,” she said, “or replicate the systems we’ve outgrown. Instead, we should use this moment to imagine the world of our dreams.”

In a world seemingly dominated by a competitive individualism and a fractured economic landscape that can serve to keep us apart, Ms. McCormick’s message has never wavered. She seeks equity, inclusion, social justice and solidarity. She reminds us that there is strength in numbers and that we’re all in this together.