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SPEECH BY MILT ISAACS
MERDON HOSKING'S RETIREMENT PARTY
June 14, 2005
4:00 PM
Good afternoon, and thank you all for coming today to celebrate the retirement of ACFO's founding president, Merdon Hosking.
It is an honour and a pleasure to stand here today as Merdon's successor. It won't be easy to follow in this man's footsteps.
In April 1988 Merdon attended a PSAC Convention in Halifax, Nova Scotia as local president representing the FI group. At this time, PSAC was about to embark on negotiations with the Employer.
The FI component of PSAC overwhelmingly supported binding arbitration over conciliation as a dispute resolution mechanism for collective bargaining, a traditional and philosophical stance that was common for the group at that time.
Merdon decided that FIs needed an independent voice when it came to career-affecting decisions such as these votes. Therefore, he committed himself to establishing an independent representative body for the Financial Administration Group.
Using his influence with the FI component and armed with a vision of a professional Association, Merdon began the daunting task of organizing the FI membership.
He managed to sign up over 300 FIs, who, for a ten dollar membership fee, became the first members of the Association of Public Service Financial Administrators. Within a few months, that number quadrupled. Seventeen years later, the Association now represents almost 3000 FIs.
This clearly indicates that FIs believed that Merdon stood for the same things they stood for, believed what they believed, and would represent their concerns with zeal.
During the critical time of transition from paying dues to PSAC to paying dues to the newly formed Association, Merdon committed money out of his own pocket to ensure the solvency of the Association. Now that is what I call commitment to the cause.
As President, Merdon represented the membership in various different ways, wearing various different hats. He is well-respected among other unions, and has forged healthy professional and personal relationships with other presidents and union representatives. He strongly believes that working together with other unions will only strengthen our position. He faithfully attended meetings of the National Joint Council and for years sat on committees such as the Dental Board and the Public Service Health Care Plan Trust.
He made links with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy in the UK to learn more about their organization and public accounting standards. His visits proved fruitful and gave him new ideas and insights that he then tried to turn into action at home.
He has been a longstanding member of the Financial Management Institute of Canada and made sure the Association was present at conferences all over Canada.
He dedicated quite some time to attending UMCC meetings and other departmental meetings, being the voice of the FI community at the table.
As a member on the Board of both Vengrowth funds and ENSIS Growth Funds he helped to ensure that the Association had and still has a stable financial foundation provided through these labour sponsored funds.
Over the years, he has gone through numerous successful rounds of collective bargaining. He has slowly chipped away at the powers that be and although they don't always listen and understand, as he likes to say, he kept at it, one little victory at the time.
In the last few years, the Association has grown from a bargaining agent to a more well-rounded, value-added shop, if you can call it that. The name change from APSFA to ACFO was more than just a name change. It signified the changing times and the growth of the Association. Together with the Board of Directors, Merdon took the Association a step further by focusing on playing an advocacy role there where it would help members most: on Parliament Hill.
He has engaged the President of the Treasury Board and the Comptroller General in the plight of Financial Officers. He has also spoken at several House of Commons Committees and subcommittees.
Under his watchful eye, the Association has taken on a more public role by engaging MPs and by publishing two issue papers that reached a wide audience.
Some people could not be here today, but were kind enough to send you a letter, which I'd like to read here for you.
Merdon, and I think I say this on behalf of all directors, all the staff who have worked with you over the last 17 years, we thank you very much for all your dedication and hard work. The Association would like to present you with a little something to remember us by.
(Present Painting)
Merdon, here's to you and enjoy your retirement!
Retirement Photos
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