Asian Heritage Month: Neville's story

Neville David is a longtime union activist.  Born and raised in Sri Lanka, he began his union activism in his country of birth, as a member of the Bank Employees Union. He fought alongside his colleagues in the picket lines to secure their wage demands during a three-month strike. The strike ended on a settlement in the union’s favour.

After moving to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1994, Neville quickly got involved with his union.  Employed by Statistics Canada as an interviewer, he is a member of the Union of National Employees component. He is the Director for Racially Visible members on the PSAC Atlantic Council. He also sits on the Racially Visible Members Working Group of the PSAC National Human Rights Committee, which provides direction and input on the implementation of the union’s human rights priorities, as well as advice to the National Board of Directors on emerging human rights issues.

Neville also serves as the co-chair of the Statistical Survey Operations (SSO) Regional Union Management Consultation Committee for the Atlantic region. The committee promotes employment equity and diversity in the workplace and has made significant progress toward fair representation of racialized members in the workplace.

His activism is not limited to his union. He is also involved in his local community as a secretary of the Dartmouth Particular Council of St. Vincent de Paul Society and a member of the Hospitality Ministry of his local church.

He’s also a sports enthusiast and is a certified tennis and soccer coach.  He is married to his wife, Barbara, and they have two sons.


Asians in Canada

Asian Heritage Month is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the long and rich history of Canadians of Asian heritage and their contributions to Canada. PSAC encourages members to learn about the legacy and contributions of Canadians of Asian descent. Canadians of Asian origin can trace their roots to different parts of Asia, such as:

Southeast Asia

22 Mai 2019