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There is a friendly face on billboards throughout the city of Halifax representing the workers at the Halifax Shipyard. Unifor MWF-Local 1 member Krista Lee Langille’s confident smile proudly represents the more than 1,200 unionized workers inside the imposing white structure more than four football fields long that sprawls along the edge of the Halifax Harbour.
Beside Langille, in her welding gear, the billboard reads “Nova Scotian jobs, Nova Scotian ships, Nova Scotian impact: Built right here at home.” — a celebration of the jobs created by the Canadian government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy that committed to building the future fleet of the Royal Canadian Navy right here at home.
By Canada, for Canada.
As a 35-year-old mom of two, Langille enrolled in the Women Unlimited Career Exploration Program, a free 14-week program at the Nova Scotia Community College, supported by Unifor. The program connects women with the opportunity to explore the trades and develop a network within the trades so they have a support system as they begin their careers.
After a few years working as a high school welding teacher and at another smaller company, Langille has been at the Halifax Shipyard for five years and is the first graduate of the Women Unlimited program to get her Red Seal Certification.
She recently sat down with Atlantic Regional Director Jennifer Murray to talk about her journey to welding at the Shipyard and how she shares her passion for her work in the Skilled Trades with others.
Here’s an excerpt from that conversation:
Murray: What was it like when you first started at the Shipyard?
Langille: I still remember the first day I walked into the yard and one of the women I’d met through the Women Unlimited program said, ‘Hey Krista!’ as I walked past – it made me feel welcome and like I belonged there. That made an impact on me and put me at ease. So, now I do the same thing and make sure to greet other sisters, other new hires into this huge, busy place.
Murray: It is a pretty amazing workplace!
Langille: It’s massive! And it is impressive. And that’s part of what I love is that I walk into this space each day and realize how huge our mission is. How important my work is. Seeing the ships come together piece by piece is incredibly satisfying.
Murray: It must feel great to look out into the water and see the ships once they’re fully built.
Langille: It makes me so proud to build ships for the Royal Canadian Navy. And I love being able to look up at the bridge of a ship, or to point at the name plate and say “I welded that! I put that together!”
Murray: What was it that made you want to become a shipbuilder?
Langille: Well, I went back to school because I wanted something different from my office job – I wanted to work with my hands. I worked at a smaller company after graduation and I taught welding at a high school for a while, too, but when the opportunity came up at the Halifax Shipyard, I applied and I’m so thankful to be here now. I love my job, and I love being in this union.
Murray: You must have inspired so many kids to take an interest in the trades.
Langille: I hope so! I wanted the kids I taught to see what was possible and give them encouragement and support. It’s important that they could see what this work looked like and what it could offer them. I still love to teach and mentor others, and I love to learn from others, too. I always want to keep learning, keep improving, and keep helping others reach their potential, too.
Murray: I’m so glad we got to sit down to chat and that I could hear more about your journey. Thank you for sharing your story and thank you for being a mentor to others. We all need someone who believes in us.
Langille: We sure do. I’m lucky to be surrounded by hardworking, strong women like you and like [Local President] Shannon Sampson, and the greatest group of shipbuilders.
Read more about the National Shipbuilding Strategy and why Unifor has long supported this Made-in-Canada approach to procurement.
