We, young unionised workers , gathered for the CSN Youth Conference on "Trade Union Involvement in an Environment for Sustainable Development" on 19 and 20 November 2009 in Quebec, express our concern as regards climate change, water, air and soil pollution, biodiversity loss, water shortages, the scarcity and depletion of natural resources, and the food crisis. Trade union action is not strictly limited to the negotiation of pay and working conditions. Trade unions are calling for access to decent work, but also for involvement in the decisions that govern society, especially when they have an impact on the world of work, public health, the distribution of wealth, and the natural environment essential to safeguarding life.

We insist that the current financial, economic, social, environmental and food crises are the result of a consumption, production and wealth distribution model that has proved ecologically, socially and economically unsustainable and it is the entire population that is paying and will continue to pay the price.

Any attempt to save this model marked by neoliberal thought will achieve nothing but to push the final limit to a time when the situation will be even graver, even more out of control. We fear the way in which vital resources would be shared out.

Now is the time to mobilise and gear our efforts towards the emergence of a development model whose prime objective is people’s well-being, which requires a better distribution of resources. Respect for the environment is becoming a requirement and the economy a means to meeting it.

1. An obsolete development model

Economic development fuelled by boundless growth, polarisation and the financiarisation of the economy is out-dated, obsolete, full of contradictions, and chronically corrupt.

In its frenetic race to accumulate and make profit, the capitalist development model has not fulfilled its promises. It has plundered the environment and destroyed peoples’ well-being, plunging them deeper into poverty. The result: ever wider and more striking social and economic inequalities. Little by little, our natural resources are being depleted. Pollution is increasing to the point that it is affecting our health and making our water undrinkable. Global warming fuelled by human activity and energy-intensive practices, such as manufacturing and transport, are now threatening our survival.

2. Sustainable development, a project to work on collectively

We, young working men and women, are not tools designed to serve the economy, but conscious actors, aware of our responsibilities towards future generations. We are actors with every conviction that truly sustainable development cannot emerge from "turbo-capitalism" gone green; it is a project we need to work on collectively, and we have the capacity to take part in it.

We consider the current crisis to be a unique opportunity to give new meaning to economic development and to redefine the role of unions and workers, be they unionised or not, in creating conditions that prioritise social fairness, economic efficiency, protection of the environment and participatory democracy.

We have the knowledge and know-how to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Workers and unions have their word to say and a role to play within companies and institutions to ensure that employment and the protection of the environment cease to be seen as irreconcilable and be used, rather, to drive economic and social development.

It is time to develop a vision of the future in which the new jobs created are green and decent jobs that contribute to reducing the impact of our economic activities on our ecosystems. Working men and women must take part in this change and, by so doing, ensure the transformation of our working environments, within the framework of a just transition.

We believe that enabling workers to act on environmental problems linked to their workplaces will contribute to acting on greenhouse gas emissions, noise and dust reduction, resource contamination, water and energy consumption, the waste of raw materials, and waste management. It offers an opportunity to learn, to train and to propose new ways of working.

Taking on environmental challenges offers us an unparalleled opportunity to renew trade union activity with the renewal of economic activity.

We call on companies, institutions and governments. Sustainable development is a collective effort in which they play a key role.

Companies and institutions must go beyond their legal obligations and act responsibly, integrating respect for human rights and labour rights, for the environment and the communities where they are based, in their day-to-day relations and operations.

The State, for its part, must take on its full responsibility and legislate in favour of greater worker participation in their workplaces. It should, among other things, enable the setting up of works councils responsible for assessing actions or changes that may assist in combating climate change, reducing ecological footprints and protecting workers’ health and communities.

3. A change in mentality is needed

We are already acting in our workplaces to change mentalities and adopt practices that respect people and the environment. New practices are underway and are being contributed by workers of all generations. For example:
- trade unions are playing an active role in obtaining "Ici on recycle" (We Recycle Here) certification in their workplaces;
-  joint buying practices have been introduced in conjunction with other organisations at local and regional level;
-  the reduction of paper use at the source, through practices such as recto verso printing and the issue of payslips by Internet;
-  car sharing policies and habits are starting to be developed;
-  green committees are being trained to propose new ways of operating to employees and employers;
-  green policies changing wasteful practices are being adopted;
-  the 4GRs are being introduced and placed in order of priority: first, reduced consumption, followed by the re-use of products, recovery of the materials, recycling, and then putting them to good use. Actions have been taken and gestures made, but much remains to be done. Mentalities cannot be changed overnight.

Trade union involvement in environmental issues, through the workers, can make a difference.

We, young workers , call on the CSN, its central councils and federations, to support and equip us with the tools needed for trade union action at local level. We believe our actions will have an important impact on those surrounding us, insofar as we act together, inspiring others by our example.

4. Let’s act fast!

Given the magnitude of the economic, social and ecological imbalances that have provoked the current crisis on a global scale, we neither have the means nor the time to remain indifferent. We must act fast!

We, the young workers of the CSN, undertake to step up the practical action we take in our workplaces and to call on our employers to transform the practices currently used in the production of goods and services and, by so doing, to promote responsible consumption.

We also undertake to multiply the areas in which we act for the emergence of a world that saves rather than wastes; a world of solidarity in multiple forms; a world that prioritises respect for human rights and fundamental labour rights; a world with a modest ecological footprint, as the economy will serve society rather than society serving the economy.

We, young workers, demand that in building this world based on sustainable development, special attention be given to ensuring that:
- federal and provincial governments respect the recommendations of the intergovernmental group of climate experts (GIEC) and thus set ambitious targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases. We urge them to negotiate in good faith in Copenhagen and at other international events aimed at adopting international agreements on climate change. Governments must allocate the resources needed to genuinely reach their targets.

We, young workers, demand that in building this world based on sustainable development, special attention be given to ensuring that:
- the sectoral and regional committees, regarding which a proposal was adopted at the last CSN congress in May 2008, be mandated to analyse the impact of climate change on jobs, measures to adapt to climate change as well as actions aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and to propose strategies for the implementation of a just transition towards a new reality where green and decent jobs predominate. At sectoral level, these social dialogue forums should group workers, the organisations representing them, government representatives, employers, environmental groups and specialists. At regional level, these committees should also include other civil society organisations.

We, young workers, demand that in building this world based on sustainable development, special attention be given to ensuring that:
- governments guarantee that plans to combat climate change are equipped with the means to ensure that the main economic players genuinely reduce their ecological footprints. We call on them to take particular action on the reduction of wastefulness, the development of public transport, waste management and the strengthening of ecosystems.

We, young workers, demand that in building this world based on sustainable development, special attention be given to ensuring that:
- we can secure legislation on whistle-blowing rights and duties, such as that demanded by the CSN for the food sector. To this effect, we demand legislation that protects workers who report a situation that is socially unacceptable or a danger to people’s health and our ecosystems.

We, young unionised workers, gathered for the CSN Youth Conference on "Trade Union Involvement in an Environment for Sustainable Development" on 19 and 20 November 2009 in Quebec, undertake, on leaving this conference, to promote this statement in our unions, in the decision-making bodies of the CSN, its federations and central councils, in our workplaces and in the public arena.