Our team

Chris Given, Secretary Treasurer, SIU Canada

Chris Given was born into a family of seafarers, with generations of his family before him all being SIU Canada members and seafarers. These strong familial connections gave Chris a passion for the maritime industry and the labour movement and in 2015, Chris began his career with the SIU of Canada. Chris’ strong political savvy and industry knowledge helped him to successfully advocate on behalf of members and all seafarers in his position as Director of Government Relations for the SIU Canada. Lobbying the federal government on all issues related to seafarers’ welfare, Chris served as a strong defender of Canadian seafarers in Ottawa, being the SIU Canada’s leading voice in the nation’s capital. Chris has also been fighting for seafarers internationally, serving in many positions with the International Transport Workers’ Federation, including Chair of the ITF Cabotage Taskforce, and as a member on the ITF Maritime Safety Committee through which he works as a delegate to the IMO with the ITF. Chris was elected to the position of Secretary-Treasurer of the SIU Canada in 2022.

• Grew up in Montreal, QC.
• Began working for the SIU Canada in 2015 at the Thorold Union Hall.
• Formerly the SIU Canada’s Director of Government Relations
• Hobbies include spending time with wife and daughters, golf, hockey and reading
• Education:
  • Diploma of College Studies – John Abbott College, Ste-Anne de Bellevue, Quebec (2007)
  • Bachelor’s degree in Education (BEd) – McGill University, Montreal, Quebec (2012)
  • Labour Relations Certificate – Ryerson University, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto, Ontario (2022)

Other positions held:

International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)

• Chair – ITF Cabotage Task Force
• Member – ITF Fair Practices Committee Steering Group
• Member – ITF Maritime Safety Committee Steering Group
• Member – ITF Maritime Safety Committee
  • Delegate to IMO Facilitation Committee (FAL), IMO Sub-Committee on the Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC) and IMO Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III).
• Member – Workers’/Seafarers’ Delegation to ILO Special Tripartite Committee
• Member – ITF Inland Navigation Section
• Advisor – ITF Offshore Task Force
• Advisor – ITF Seafarers’ Section
• ITF Communications and Public Relations Officer, Canada

Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)

• Member – Transportation Committee, Privatization Committee, National Political Action Committee.

Government of Canada

• • Member – Labour Standards Advisory Committee, ESDC Labour Program, Member – TFWP Maritime Sector Advisory Committee, ESDC Temporary Foreign Workers Program
  • Member – Canadian Marine Advisory Committee, Transport Canada, Marine Safety & Security