Convention delegates endorsed a policy paper Friday, May 4 calling for the creation of a special AFL taskforce on democracy and political action.

The paper, entitled "Breaking Out of the Rut," said a taskforce is needed to help find solutions to problems like voter apathy and continued Conservative dominance in Alberta.

"The taskforce will meet with unions and activists around the province to discuss strategies for making the labour movement’s voice heard more loudly in political circles," says the paper.

"At the end of its hearing process, the taskforce will develop a new blueprint for the labour movement’s approach to political action, including recommendations regarding the relationship between labour and the New Democrats."

The policy paper also emphasized the need for unions to get more involved in extra-parliamentary "direct action", like the recent protests against the FTAA in Quebec City.

"In a world where attacks on workers rights and economic security are mounting, unions can’t afford to sit on the sideline," says the paper. "Direct action … is sometime the only way to deal with concerns that are either being ignored or mishandled by the mainstream political system."