CWA Canada Members Elect Martin O'Hanlon as New Director

Martin O'Hanlon, now deputy director of CWA Canada, has been elected to succeed retiring Director Arnold Amber.

Martin O'Hanlon, a newspaper editor in Ottawa and deputy director of CWA Canada for seven years, has been elected to take over for retiring Director Arnold Amber.

"I promise to do my best to build CWA|SCA Canada into the most dynamic and progressive union in Canada," O'Hanlon said. "And I will always put the interests of the members above all else."

This was the first time that members in Canada directly voted for the Canadian region's director, who sits on the CWA Executive Board. Previously, the director and deputy were elected by delegates to the union's National Representative Council meeting.

Some locals arranged for in-plant voting while others opted for vote-by-mail. Because of a postal strike in Canada, the voting period was extended twice.

Amber, who has served as director since 1995, will remain at the helm until O'Hanlon can assume office sometime in the next few weeks. O'Hanlon, 44, will be arranging for a leave of absence from his position as parliamentary editor for The Canadian Press in Ottawa.