Election Platform

My name is Joel Swaan, and am campaigning for the opportunity to serve as MTS President.

Last year, I used only the word “Advocate”, and my slogan in 2022 was “Committed Servant Leadership”, written in such a way that it could be read as one phrase or three separate words: “Committed. Servant. Leadership.” This year, I have chosen the slogan “Listening with Purpose, Dedicated to Progress” to describe my platform. I have a proven track-record of being available to members, of listening with an intent to learn and understand, and of responsively acting with empathy and reason. I am committed to doing good, striving for better, and empowering a mutual commitment to growth through collaboration.

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society finds itself in a delicate but exciting time. Alongside these elections for president and vice-president, we are also experiencing a completely new senior leadership team. Everyone is new in their roles – a provocative but concerning prospect. It is a delicate moment that will require a specific kind of leader – a servant leader with vision who has experience with the Society, our executive, member relations, communication, bargaining, and working with our educational partners.

MTS Priorities

MTS is in a growth position, but growth is not a given. It will be the result of deliberate, collaborative choices. There is work to be done under each of the Society’s three pillars of advancing and safeguarding the welfare of teachers, the status of the teaching profession, and the cause of public education in Manitoba. We also need to become torchbearers in equity work, including leading by example as an employer.

1. Strategic Plan
   • While good work has begun on developing a strategic plan for the Society, we currently have neither short- nor long-term plans for growth or development. This work needs to be completed. It needs to be a living document that will provide an outline of our priorities, created with members in mind, that will help pave a path forward as education continues to evolve.
2. Collective Bargaining
   • The next round of bargaining begins this spring with a member survey, and then the establishment of a new Provincial Bargaining Committee this fall. As the president, I would have a voice as a member of the committee and of the upcoming table team in 2026-2027. As the only member of the previous table team that is up for election, I am uniquely qualified and ready to be a part of the next bargaining team.
3. Teacher Mental Health
   • Expectations are continually rising, but nothing else around the education is changing to create room to meet additional demands. Principals, clinicians, and teachers are all dealing with higher needs. We need conversations with school divisions and the government to find ways to help relieve the pressure, while also providing direct assistance to members and locals through MTS.
4. Violence in Schools
   • Violence in schools is an epidemic. Workplace Safety and Health measures need to be followed to protect school division employees. We need to be working together with other employee groups to advocate for more resources, more strategies, and more accountability by employers.
5. Anti-Hate and Anti-Oppression Measures
   • The rise and empowerment of voices that are attacking equity-seeking/equity-deserving groups is troubling. MTS needs a fulsome proactive plan to support members and students who are affected by this targeting.
6. Reconciliation
   • The Society’s acts of reconciliation and restitution with Indigenous communities needs to be more than perfunctory. We need to find authentic ways to include the Circle of Indigenous Educators, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers. Our physical spaces need to be more welcoming. First Nations and Métis governmental leaders should be consulted regarding their unique needs in the education system, so that we can be more effective partners in Treaty and in reconciliation.
7. Public and Member Communications
   • How we communicate with members tells them the ways in which they are supported by the Society, informs them of how our work is rooted in our values, and solicits feedback to inform our strategic work: Better communication builds increased trust: members need be able to trust that the Society continues to work hard on their behalf. In addition, how we communicate with the public, the press, and the government needs to represent our members and the mission and goals of the Society.
8. Government Relations
   • Our relationship with government is a pivotal way to advocate for our students, our members, and for a stronger educational system. We should be looking to partner with them when we can, and to stand strong in our union values when our vision differs from new legislation or regulations. Preparatory, proactive work is necessary to remain politically agile.
9. Certified Teachers and School Clinicians Registry
   • With the registry in place, and the beginning of the receipt of reports from school boards and the general public, it is imperative that MTS stays vigilant in ensuring that members are treated fairly.
10. Reputational Repair
    • MTS has always had strong community support. Our representation in print and social media over the past two years has the potential to impact our relationships with government, educational partners, and the public. Rebuilding confidence in the work of the Society is imperative. This will need to take place in meeting rooms with our educational and union partners, in public messaging on topics important to educators, and in how we demonstrate our values through our actions.
11. Senior Leadership Team-building & Operating Philosophy
    • The working relationship between the senior leaders will need to be newly navigated, as everyone will be new in their roles. As leaders, the new President and Executive Director will support all of the operational and political/governing work of the Society: the relationship between these offices is integral to the work and will need to be developed purposely .
12. Richter Workplace Assessment
    • With the final report and recommendations released to the Society, it will take an intentional, thoughtful approach–in conversation with staff–to enact solutions that will make a positive difference within McMaster House and Bradley Square. While some of the work will be internal and staff related, the provincial executive will have a role in determining the path forward. As an employer, we must lead by example, modelling the highest bar of what we desire for all members in every worksite.

I have several hopes for when my time at MTS concludes:

For the Society:

• That we have rebuilt trust within the education sector and with the public.
• That local associations feel supported and are sufficiently resourced to serve members one-on-one and face-to-face.
• That we have found new ways to open our doors to members that feel welcoming, safe, and supportive. Decolonizing and/or Indigenizing some of our structures, practices, and spaces will be necessary.
• That we have grown in the ways in which we respond to–and participate in–the TRC’s Calls to Action, UNDRIP, and the Treaties.
• That our membership and our leadership increasingly represent and reflect our student population.
• That our staff are flourishing in their roles.

For members:

• That more members believe that MTS represents them inside and out.
• That more members see the value and feel the solidarity of belonging to a union.
• That more members have found themselves involved and invested in the work of the Society.
• That more people see the value in entering, or returning to, the teaching profession.

For myself:

• That I have created and responded to hope in my work.
• That I have stayed true to the clear values I have demonstrated in my time with the Society so far.
• That I have held myself accountable to members and the public, and used accountability structures to become a better servant leader.
• That my wife and children feel that the joint family commitment around my use of time was well-spent.

Listening with Purpose, Dedicated to Progress

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