Publications

#GETLOUD for Mental Health Week

May 2-6 is the Canadian Mental Health Association’s 65th annual Mental Health Week. It is a chance to #GETLOUD by speaking out and challenging the stigma and discrimination that usually goes hand in hand with mental illness. It’s an opportunity to build support for those people in our lives – friends, family members, co-workers, neighbours – who face mental health…

On this Day of Mourning, let’s make all Canadians safer

On Thursday, April 28th, the flag on Parliament Hill will fly at half-mast and people across the country will light candles, don ribbons and remember colleagues, friends and family who have been killed because of workplace-related hazards and incidents. We can’t bring back those who have died, but we are working hard to make workplaces safer today. That’s why this…

Happy Birthday to us! The CLC is celebrating 60 years of working for fairness

Saturday, April 23, 2016 marks 60 years since the creation of the Canadian Labour Congress in 1956. Workers had been organizing for better working conditions through unions for decades, but the time had come for a single, nation-wide labour organization to help unions work together around common goals. Here are some highlights of how in each decade since the CLC…

Rana Plaza: Canadian unions calling for safer work conditions

In February 2016 a Canadian trade union delegation visited Bangladesh. The delegation included representatives from the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), Unifor, and the United Steelworkers (USW). On this third anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, Canadian unions have issued the following joint statement: On April 24, 2013, the…

Canadian unions renew call for comprehensive ban on asbestos

OTTAWA – Canadian unions are renewing their call for a comprehensive ban on asbestos, announcing today they will highlight the issue at events across the country on April 28, the National Day of Mourning for workers killed, injured or made ill on the job. “Asbestos is the leading cause of work-related death in Canada, and with imports on the rise,…

Media advisory: news conference

On April 21, the Canadian Labour Congress will host a news conference to talk about why this year’s National Day of Mourning on April 28 will focus on asbestos. What: News conference When: 10:30 a.m., Thursday, April 21 Where: National Press Theatre Who:    Hassan Yussuff, President, Canadian Labour CongressRenée Guay, AdvocateFred Clare, Vice President (Eastern Canada), International Association of Heat and Frost…

Day of Pink and “coming out” as an ally

The Day of Pink is the International Day against Bullying, Discrimination, Homophobia and Transphobia in schools and communities. By wearing pink on April 13, we express our solidarity with victims of bullying and show that the labour movement will not tolerate bullying in our workplaces nor our communities. We urge everyone to “come out” as an ally and speak out…

Federal Budget 2016: First steps towards a fairer and more prosperous Canada

The Canadian Labour Congress responded to today’s federal budget announcement with optimism, saying it begins the important work of reinvesting in Canadian communities, creating jobs, addressing children’s and seniors’ poverty, and repairing the programs and services Canadians rely on. “This budget is a step in the right direction for our economy, particularly the Employment Insurance improvements, which will make a…

CLC president Hassan Yussuff responds to Brussels attacks

We are saddened and shocked to hear once again of senseless violence targeting civilians. As I woke to the news of the attacks at the Brussels airport and metro, my thoughts went immediately to colleagues and friends at the International Trade Union Confederation, their families and to all in Brussels impacted by these heinous acts. This news is especially disturbing…

Canada Pension Plan Disability is failing many of the most vulnerable Canadians

This week, Canada’s Auditor General Michael Ferguson released a damning report on the state of the Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) program. Among his findings: More than one-half of Canadians who initially applied for CPPD benefits were denied. In the 2014-15 fiscal year, that meant 39,707 or 57 percent were denied. Canadians who wished to appeal their denial of benefits…