Job numbers highlight need for urgent EI reform

Job numbers highlight need for urgent EI reform

Canada’s largest labour organization says today’s job numbers from Statistics Canada highlight the need for the kind of economic stimulus that urgently needed Employment Insurance (EI) reforms would produce now. The job market was stagnant in January and unemployment rose to 7.2 percent. In Alberta, unemployment rose to 7.4 percent, the first time it has been above the national average…

Five reasons Canada must ban asbestos now

Canadian unions have long called on the federal government to implement a comprehensive ban on all use and imports of asbestos, and for a registry of both contaminated buildings and people with diseases caused by asbestos. Here are five reasons why: Asbestos is killing Canadians: It’s estimated that more than 2,000 people die every year from diseases caused by asbestos…

TPP: A Conservative deal that’s bad for Canada

This week the federal government plans to sign on to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), after which Canada will be locked into a two-year countdown to ratify the deal, despite the controversy surrounding it. Last week, Canadian Labour Congress President, Hassan Yussuff, and several other Canadian union leaders met with Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland to express serious concerns about the deal.…

Why we celebrate Black History Month: A message from CLC Executive Vice-President Marie Clarke Walker

This is the 20th year that Black History Month has been officially celebrated in Canada. Across the country, events are planned to mark and remember the contributions and achievements of Black Canadians. Canadian unions are celebrating that history too. Black trade union members and activists have played a key role in building and shaping the labour movement. When we stand…

Unions promote corporate accountability and workers’ rights in Bangladesh

The Canadian Labour Congress will join a delegation of Canadian unions in Bangladesh on February 1st to promote corporate accountability and support ongoing efforts to improve workplace health and safety and fair labour practices for garment sector workers. Representatives from the CLC, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), United Steelworkers (USW), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and…

Good sense prevails: Government moves to repeal C-377 and C-525

Canadian unions are pleased that the federal government has tabled legislation to repeal controversial bills C-377 and C-525.  These bills were designed to weaken unions by forcing redundant and unreasonable financial reporting, and by making it more difficult for Canadians in federally-regulated workplaces to join a union, respectively.  “This proves what we’ve been saying all along: that these bills were nothing…

Ontario must hold off on ORPP and lead on CPP expansion instead

Canada’s largest labour organization wants the Ontario government to hold off on implementing the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan and take the lead on finding a pan-Canadian solution to the looming retirement security crisis instead. “We hope Premier Wynne will consider putting the Ontario-only plan on hold and instead play a leadership role with the federal government, other provinces and the…

Full study, debate needed before any ratification of TPP

Canadian unions are disappointed with news that the government plans to sign onto the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a move that locks the country into a two-year countdown to ratify the trade deal. In a meeting with Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland today, CLC President Hassan Yussuff and several other union leaders outlined their concerns about the deal, and called for comprehensive…

Can disability rights be maintained in the “Uber-economy”?

Talk about the “sharing” or “gig” economy is everywhere, especially when it comes to ride-sharing apps like Uber. For the most part public debate has centred on issues of public safety, customer service, precarious work, insurance and taxation. And rightly so. Uber’s ability to skirt regulations not only threatens to dismantle an entire sector, but also adds to the broader…

After a rocky 2015, Canada needs a job creation and just transition plan more than ever

Today Statistics Canada released its December 2015 Labour Force Survey results, and while they appear to show improvement, the Canadian Labour Congress warned that our medium-term economic situation is still precarious. 2015 was a rocky year for jobs, and trends show 2016 could be even worse without government action. Over 2015, employment only grew by 0.9 percent, and most of…