Unions including ACTRA and CEP gained support from other labor groups on a number of issues Monday, when members of the Canadian Labour Congress voted in favor of supporting their policies on points including Bill C-10 and the state of Canadian drama.

The members of the CLC — which is holding its annual convention this week in Toronto — sided with a resolution put forward by the group’s media caucus, which includes ACTRA, CEP, IATSE and the Canadian wing of the Communications Workers of America, CWA-SCA Canada, among others.

The unions put forward a wide-ranging resolution that afternoon, calling on the government to limit foreign ownership of media companies, to rewrite key parts of Bill C-10 and to put more Canadian-made dramas on TV. They also called on Ottawa to denounce media convergence and to staunch the loss of local news coverage — an issue close to CEP’s heart following Canwest’s cuts to and centralization of its news division in 2007.

The points will be made a part of CLC’s own lobby efforts in Ottawa for the next three years, according to a spokesperson. The umbrella group and its member unions represent some 3.2 million workers in a variety of industries across Canada.

‘It’s a great day when labor puts culture first. Canadian culture matters to all workers because it’s our identity, who we are as a nation. Action is needed, and through the CLC, we’ve got three million voices behind us,’ said Arnold Amber, director of CWA-SCA Canada, in a release.