Government launches inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls

Government launches inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls

CLC president Hassan Yussuff was honoured to participate in the Native Women’s Association of Canada’s (NWAC) news conference today marking the historic and monumental launch of the official inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Following a series of consultations that began in late 2015, the government announced the inquiry’s terms of reference and the names of the…

Supreme Court ruling protects non-union workers from unjust dismissal

Today’s Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ruling in Wilson v. AECL will deliver accountability and fairness to roughly 500,000 non-unionized federal employees, said the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). The SCC upheld the interpretation that, under the Canada Labour Code, dismissing an employee without cause is unjust, and therefore not permitted. “This ruling is a win for all federally-regulated employees, particularly…

Grassy Narrows river clean-up cannot wait

Between 1962 and 1970, a pulp and paper mill in Dryden dumped 10 tonnes of mercury into the Wabigoon-English River system, about 100 kilometres upstream from Grassy Narrows. In 1983, a scientific report predicted fish in the area would be contaminated for generations if the mercury wasn’t cleaned up. In 1984, the provincial Environment Minister actually recommended a clean-up, but…

Rest of Canada must follow Alberta’s lead on minimum wage

The Canadian Labour Congress is celebrating today’s announcement by the Alberta government that it will be phasing in a $15 minimum wage by 2018. The CLC is calling on the federal government, and the other provinces, to make a $15 minimum wage the universal standard for workers across the country. “Today, the Alberta government fulfills a key election promise, one…

Happy Pride 2016

Pride season is upon us and Canadian unions are proud to have been a part of the effort for LGBTQ equality and justice for many years. Canada’s unions have fought for inclusive language in collective agreements in diverse workplaces across Canada to promote equality and protect and empower workers. And some of the very first legislation in Canada around same-sex…

Canadian unions launch new CPP campaign “A Better Plan for All”

Today unions of the Canadian Labour Congress launched a new website and ad campaign to raise awareness about the need for a universal expansion of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).  “With 600,000 Canadian seniors living in poverty, and 11 million workers lacking a workplace pension plan, retirement is something all Canadians need to start thinking about today. Even for employees…

IDAHOT 2016: unions take a stand against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia

May 17 is the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT), one of the largest global LGBTQ solidarity actions. This day marks the anniversary of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) decision to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders and illnesses. There are worldwide celebrations of sexual and gender diversity and events taking place in hundreds of countries. This is…

Job numbers: Job creation not keeping up with labour force growth

Statistics Canada job numbers released today show that job creation isn’t keeping up with labour force growth — over the past year, the number of workers in the labour force grew by 212,200 but the economy only created 144,000 jobs. The numbers show that the problem isn’t just in the energy sector. Canada has lost 22,800 jobs in the natural…

Message of support and solidarity for Fort McMurray

The CLC is deeply concerned and saddened by the wildfires affecting Fort McMurray, Alberta, and surrounding areas. More than 80,000 people have already been evacuated from over a dozen communities in Northern Alberta. The fire is now 85,000 hectares in size and the provincial government has declared a state of emergency. The CLC is donating $25,000 to the Canadian Red…

European and Canadian unions call for changes to CETA

The Canadian Labour Congress and the European Trade Union Confederation are uniting to call for five changes to the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). “By adopting the changes we propose, Canada and European countries have an opportunity to make the promise of a ‘gold standard’ trade agreement a reality,” said CLC president Hassan Yussuff. Europeans have had some…