Toronto - Workers of colour and Aboriginal workers will meet at an historic conference tomorrow. Over 300 delegates are expected to attend this ground breaking event - the first local Workers of Colour/Aboriginal conference - in Toronto, Saturday, June 14.

Organized by the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, the conference will involve union members from Toronto's diverse communities.

Highlights of the conference include a major speech on equity issues by mayoralty candidate David Miller at 12 PM. Miller will release his draft Equity Policy, a plan to make City Hall a more effective partner with Toronto's many ethno-cultural and immigrant communities, and will announce a new, inclusive process for developing the final version.

Maria Elena Durazo, President of the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees Local 11 and Miguel Contreras, Executive Secretary/Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labour, will deliver a keynote address at 3 PM. Durazo is the Director of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride. Inspired by the Freedom Riders of the Civil Rights movement, thousands of immigrant workers in the United States are organizing for the right to apply for citizenship and reunify their families - rights denied by their undocumented status and outdated laws. Contreras was instrumental in the L.A. Jobs with Justice campaign where thousands of undocumented workers were organized.

"We see this conference as a major step in building equity in the Toronto region," said John Cartwright, President of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council. "By providing a forum for leadership development for workers of colour and Aboriginal workers we can tap the tremendous strength, knowledge and experience of our diverse membership. This conference is part of an ongoing process to organize for strength in Toronto's diverse communities."