Paul Moist

Paul Moist is a former national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Canada's largest trade union, having served from 2003 to 2015.

Career

Moist studied Canadian history and politics at University of Manitoba from which he received a bachelor of arts degree.

Moist first joined the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) as a teenager in 1975, working first as a lifeguard, then as a greenhouse attendant for the City of Winnipeg. He was elected to his local executive after university and worked as a CUPE staff representative from 1983 to 1993.

Moist served for 10 years as the president of CUPE Local 500, representing Winnipeg municipal workers. He also served for six years as president of CUPE Manitoba.

Moist became the first western Canadian elected to lead CUPE's 600,000 members in October 2003.

Moist served as co-chair of Manitoba Premier Gary Doer's Economic Advisory Council and vice-chair of the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation. He has also served as treasurer of the United Way and as a director of the Winnipeg Library Foundation and the Misericordia Health Centre. He is a vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress.