Publications

CLC wants Canadian mayors to address use of lethal force and systemic racism in policing

Canada’s largest labour organization is saddened and outraged by news of yet another black man dying after a violent confrontation with police, this time in Ottawa, and it calls on Canada’s mayors to take action. 37-year old Somali-Canadian Abdirahman Abdi died on Monday after succumbing to injuries sustained after being pursued and, according to several witnesses, violently beaten by Ottawa…

What an expanded CPP means for someone like you

What does a better plan for all mean, in real terms? We calculated the difference that the Finance Ministers’ planned CPP expansion would make for four typical Canadians, whose stories might be similar to you, or someone you care about. Fitness Instructor Jayden is a 24-year-old fitness instructor. He combines several part-time jobs at fitness centres around Mississauga and Etobicoke. His income…

CLC statement on Ramadan attacks

As this year’s Eid celebrations wind to a close, the CLC would like to take a moment to express its solidarity and sympathy to the many across the globe for whom this year’s holidays were devastated by sadness and loss from the spate of global attacks in Mukalla, Istanbul, Dhaka, Medina and Baghdad during Ramadan. Extremists killed hundreds of men, women and children…

Trudeau government must put an end to Canada Post’s pension attack

Canada Post Corporation is set to lock out 50,000 postal workers and jeopardize mail service across Canada as early as this Friday. In spite of long-standing profitability, Canada Post is proposing steep concessions that would entrench unfair wages and undermine pensions for future generations. The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) responded by calling on the Trudeau government to rein in the…

Canadian unions celebrate announcement of universal CPP expansion

VANCOUVER – The Canadian Labour Congress is celebrating today’s announcement by the Finance Ministers that they have agreed to a modest universal expansion of the CPP. The CLC and its member unions have supported an expanded CPP for more than 50 years and have been actively campaigning on this issue since 2009. “Too many Canadians today are struggling in retirement…

Government must stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

On Thursday, Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff and Senior Economist Angella MacEwen spoke to the House of Commons Committee on International Trade to outline serious concerns with the Conservative-negotiated Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Below is Hassan Yussuff’s statement to the committee. To learn more and add your voice to stop the TPP, visit stoptpp.ca. Presentation by the Canadian Labour Congress…

Canadian unions stand against worker rights abuses in Colombia

Before it was signed in 2008, unions in both countries raised serious concerns about the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CCOFTA). At the time, the Canadian government argued the agreement would help improve Colombia’s labour and human rights record. However, monitoring has made it increasingly clear that the Colombian government is not living up to its obligations to protect fundamental workers’…

Earth Day: Let’s leave a legacy of sustainability for future generations

The world’s climate is changing, but something else is changing too: the will to act on this crisis has never been stronger. This year, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is marking Earth Day (April 22) by renewing its call for a One Million Climate Jobs plan that would allow Canada to transition from fossil-fuel reliance to a sustainable, low-to-zero carbon economy…

Unions stand in support of Syrian refugees and against xenophobia

March 21 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a day to reflect on racism in our communities and redouble our efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination. Although the Syrian refugee crisis had been building since 2011 due to the civil war that led millions to flee their homes, the haunting picture of a dead…

Win for workers as government restores eligibility age for retirement benefits

Today the Canadian Labour Congress celebrated the Prime Minister’s announcement that his government will maintain the eligibility for Old Age Security at 65. In 2012, the Conservatives announced they would raise the age to 67 starting in 2023. “We have been calling for the government to ensure the eligibility age remains at 65 since the Conservatives announced the change four…