2026 NDF Convention marks 40th year of the Fund

Back to Blog

July 30, 2026

From July 27 – 28, 2026, hundreds of UFCW members from across Canada marked the 40^th anniversary of the National Defence Fund (NDF) at its annual convention – this time hosted by UFCW Local 401 in great city of Calgary.

President Tosato and 7 other UFCW delegates seated in the audience at the 2026 NDF Convention

President Kelly Tosato, Secretary-Treasurer Jim McLean, 30 Union Stewards, and a number of staff brought the UFCW Locals 175 & 633 contingent to a total of 49 delegates who took part in plenary and breakout sessions over the two-day 2026 NDF convention.

UFCW Canada Resident Elder Eric Flett opened this year’s convention with a warm welcome and traditional music.
UFCW Local 401 President Tom Hesse, whose Local Union hosted this year’s event, welcomed delegates to Calgary and spoke about the struggle of being a working person in a province that is actively seeking to undermine workers and the larger labour movement.
UFCW Canada National President Barry Sawyer spoke about the current climate for workers in this country and added that “we must hold true to our values to a legacy and a tradition of one hand holding up another one member supporting another, bargaining unit by bargaining unit, shopfloor by shopfloor.”
UFCW International Secretary-Treasurer Shawn Haggerty spoke to delegates about the strength that comes from being an international union. Having UFCW in both Canada and the U.S. allows us to coordinate and share information to help members on both sides of the border build stronger agreements and fight back even harder against large, multi-national employers.

Bryan Dennis, who is a long-time UFCW Local 175 member and the Chief Steward at Cargill Dunlop in Guelph, took part in a panel discussion on how the NDF strengthens workers’ power. Bryan discussed his experience on the picket line at Cargill Dunlop as he and his co-workers held strong on strike for 41 days in 2024.

Secretary-Treasurer Jim McLean and Executive Assistant Angela Mattioli applaud

On the afternoon of day one and continuing through the morning of day two, delegates broke out into sector workshops to discuss bargaining, workplace concerns, industry trends, and more within their groups.

A number of pressing concerns were hot topics in these groups including:

surveillance pricing and digital price tags – read more about surveillance pricing and sign the letter petition here
digital AI systems in warehousing
heat stress
migrant worker support

To close the 2026 NDF Convention, delegates were treated to an incredible moving performance by Packingtown. The group performs ballads about the historical experiences of workers in North Edmonton’s meatpacking community mixed with interviews, footage, and more.

The NDF provides additional strike support to members in participating bargaining units to help those on the picket line stand strong and achieve a fair collective agreement. For more information, visit the UFCW Canada website.