As these technologies become more deeply embedded in our workplaces and communities, it is critical that they are developed and deployed in ways that protect workers’ rights, address growing concerns about job security, and do not deepen existing inequalities, especially for women and marginalized workers.

We welcome the federal government’s proactive approach to this issue and look forward to working together to ensure AI protects rights, strengthens equity, and benefits all workers.

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To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post Statement from CLC President, Bea Bruske, on the Federal Government’s AI strategy appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Delegates overwhelmingly adopted a strong resolution opposing legislation from Premier Smith’s government that would entrench two-tier health care in Alberta by allowing physicians to charge patients whatever they want for medically necessary services.

The resolution also opposes any attempt to introduce similar legislation elsewhere in Canada and calls on the Prime Minister and federal Health Minister to fully enforce the Canada Health Act.

Delegates from Alberta took to the convention floor to share firsthand stories about the growing crisis in their province and urged fellow activists from across the country to stand united against the privatization of health care, including Alberta’s Bills 11 and 29.

“When you think about what makes Canada different from the United States, our public universal health care is on top of that list,” said Bruske. “Canada’s unions will defend our health care from Americanization.”

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To arrange an interview, please contact:

CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post Canada’s unions ready to fight to protect public health care in Alberta appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Delegates will first take to the streets for a rally and march at noon, in support of protecting workers and jobs in Canada. The march will start at the RBC Centre and end at Winnipeg’s Union Centre.

On this final day of business for this 31^st Constitutional Convention, delegates will undertake numerous discussions and debates centred around building worker power in Canada.

Other highlights include:

•           An engaging panel discussion on building worker power in Canada moderated by Nat Wilson from Point Blank, featuring Pablo Godoy (UFCW), Deepak Kuller (USW), Munib Sajjad (OSSTF) and Jeremy Salter (IATSE).

•           Live musical performances by Mariachi Ghost and House of Gold Diamonds.

WHAT:

Fourth day of the CLC Constitutional Convention

WHEN:

Thursday, May 14, 2026

WHERE:

RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg (375 York Avenue, Winnipeg, MB)

* Key moments will be livestreamed here: https://www.youtube.com/@canadianlabour/streams

Additional programming details are available here: https://canadianlabour.ca/buildcarefight/

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For media inquiries, please contact:     

CLC Media Relations    
media@clcctc.ca   

The post CLC Convention Wraps with Leadership Vote and Vision for Workers appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

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For media inquiries, please contact:     

CLC Media Relations    
media@clcctc.ca   

The post Canada’s unions demand a care economy built on dignity and respect appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Wednesday’s plenary discussions will centre around building up Canada’s care economy through strong investments in the country’s care systems, and on making the world of work and our communities more equitable for all by fighting injustice, discrimination and inequality.

Other highlights include:

•           CLC Humanitarian Award being presented posthumously to the late Honourable Murray Sinclair.

•           A featured panel discussion on the importance of a strong care economy in Canada, led by Executive Director of the Canadian Women’s Foundation, Mitzie Hunter.

WHAT:

Day three of the CLC Constitutional Convention

WHEN:

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

WHERE:

RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg (375 York Avenue, Winnipeg, MB)

* Key moments will be livestreamed here: https://www.youtube.com/@canadianlabour/streams

Additional programming details are available here: https://canadianlabour.ca/buildcarefight/

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For media inquiries, please contact:     

CLC Media Relations    
media@clcctc.ca   

The post CLC Convention Day 3: Workers Tackle the Care Crisis and Inequality appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Today the 2,000+ delegates to the CLC Convention said “enough is enough” with the adoption of an ambitious action plan to raise living standards, take on corporate greed and excess, and restore dignity and economic security for working people.

CLC President Bea Bruske was clear: Canadians are not only facing an affordability crisis, they are also facing a dignity crisis.

“Workers are being squeezed from every direction while corporate profits soar, and we’ve had enough of it,” said Bruske. “The plan put forward today by Canada’s unions will lower costs, raise living standards, and make dignity and security realities for everyone.”

The “We Fight for Dignity” action plan is focused on shifting government priorities towards the everyday housing needs of people over profit-making corporations and landlords, towards an investment in high-quality and low-cost public services, strengthening Canada’s social safety net, and stronger regulation of corporate behaviour.

“From fair tax policy to rent controls, to laws that ban price-gouging and the use of algorithms that target people for discrimination, Canada’s unions are ready to fight for everyday affordability, corporate accountability, and to restore the economic equality of workers everywhere,” said Bruske.

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For media inquiries, please contact:     

CLC Media Relations    
media@clcctc.ca   

The post Canada’s Unions Take Aim at Corporate Greed and the Cost-of-Living Crisis at the 31st Constitutional Convention appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Les discussions plénières de mercredi porteront sur le renforcement de l’économie canadienne des soins, grâce à de solides investissements dans les systèmes de soins du pays, et sur le moyen de rendre le monde du travail et nos collectivités plus équitables pour tout le monde en luttant contre l’injustice, la discrimination et les inégalités.

Voici d’autres faits saillants :

• Prix humanitaire du CTC décerné à titre posthume à l’honorable Murray Sinclair.
• Panel de discussion sur l’importance d’une économie des soins vigoureuse au Canada, animé par la présidente et directrice générale de la Fondation canadienne des femmes, Mitzie Hunter.

QUOI :
Troisième journée de l’Assemblée générale du CTC

QUAND :
Le mercredi 13 mai 2026

OÙ :
Centre des congrès RBC (375, avenue York, Winnipeg, Manitoba)

*Les moments clés seront diffusés en direct ici : https://www.youtube.com/@canadianlabour/streams

Des détails supplémentaires sur la programmation sont disponibles ici : https://congresdutravail.ca/batirprendresoinlutter/

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Les médias sont priés d’adresser leurs demandes à :

Relations avec les médias, CTC
media@clcctc.ca

The post Troisième jour de l’Assemblée générale du CTC : les travailleurs s’attaquent à la crise des soins et aux inégalités appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Highlights include:

•           Cultural performances by the Ivan Flett Memorial Dancers, Red River Dancers, and Leonard Sumner.

•           Remarks from Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew.

•           Debate on the CLC action plan “We Build the Future,” focused on creating good union jobs, public investment, industrial strategy, workforce development, and a worker-centred transition to a green economy.

•           Panel discussions and debate connected to the “We Fight for Dignity” action plan, addressing affordability, wages, housing, inequality, and expanding public services.

WHAT:

Day two of the CLC Constitutional Convention

WHEN:

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

WHERE:

RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg (375 York Avenue, Winnipeg, MB)

* Key moments will be livestreamed here: https://www.youtube.com/@canadianlabour/streams

Additional programming details are available here: https://canadianlabour.ca/buildcarefight/

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For media inquiries, please contact:     

CLC Media Relations 
media@clcctc.ca

The post Day 2 of CLC Convention Focuses on Good Jobs, Dignity and Building the Future appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

The action plan recognizes that growing insecurity, declining trust in institutions and frustration with politics have created fertile ground for anti-democratic and extremist movements. The plan argues that strengthening economic security, fighting inequality, and expanding democratic participation are essential to building a healthy, inclusive, and resilient democracy. 

“When workers feel ignored, insecure, and shut out of political and economic 
decision-making, extremism fills the vacuum,” said Bea Bruske. “This plan is about rebuilding democratic participation from the ground up by strengthening workers’ voices, raising living standards, and ensuring ordinary people have real power in shaping Canada’s future.” 

The action plan commits Canada’s unions to advancing a good jobs strategy at the core of a broader democratic agenda to combat growing disaffection with politics and the rise of extremist political activity. It champions worker-centred economics, an affordability agenda, and steadily rising working-class living standards. 

Canada’s unions will continue to demand tax fairness, and expand public investment, including investment in public services, and concrete measures to reduce inequality and insecurity as part of a broader effort to address political frustration and alienation. 

The action plan also commits the labour movement to revitalizing democratic participation and accountability through greater transparency, civic engagement, and political participation and representation. 

Delegates are further committed to intensifying efforts to organize and mobilize workers politically, defend collective bargaining and the right to strike.  

The plan calls for stronger protections for human and labour rights in global supply chains, worker-centred trade policies, and continued solidarity with workers and social movements fighting for democracy, equality, and human rights around the world. 

“Democracy cannot survive when working people are left behind,” said Bruske. “Canada’s unions are committed to building a country where workers have security, dignity, and a real voice in shaping the future.” 

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For media inquiries, please contact:     

CLC Media Relations    
media@clcctc.ca   

The post Canada’s unions adopt action plan to fight extremism and rebuild democracy appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“From green steel to clean electricity, workers are leading the charge to a more sustainable planet,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress and member of the Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council. “Sustainable jobs are the way of the future, and workers, their communities and all Canadians are looking for leadership at all levels of government. Only when workers are at the centre of decisions can we ensure success for all generations.”

The hazards posed by climate change, including heat stress and extreme weather events are impossible to ignore, thereby underscoring the urgency of collective action to meet the moment.

“From union-led training to worker-centred industrial strategies that meet the needs of all sectors of the economy, to ensuring workers are safe from climate-related hazards, workers demand a future that works – they deserve nothing less,” concluded Bruske.

The post Earth Day 2026: Workers Power Solutions for Our Planet appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“Workers have always understood that an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. Canada’s unions are proud to be allied with the trans and gender diverse communities bravely facing down attempts from conservative and alt-right politicians trying to distract from their economic mismanagement by scapegoating the most vulnerable among us,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.

In Canada and around the world, there is a growing backlash against human rights, with the most relentless forms of harassment and violence directed at trans and gender diverse people. From 2016 to 2023, Statistics Canada reports that police-reported hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation had increased by a staggering almost 400%.

More recently, governments in Saskatchewan and Alberta have taken aim at the fundamental rights of queer and trans youth by denying them access to education, health care, and other protected human rights. These governments admitted that their use of the notwithstanding clause violated people’s basic rights and freedoms. That didn’t stop the Alberta government from using the same clause to violate teachers’ protected bargaining rights. Trans and gender diverse people were the first targets, but they won’t be the last. 

“Conservative right-wing forces, supported by uber-wealthy oligarchs, want hard-working Canadians to turn on each other. They help fuel the ongoing affordability crisis, keeping workers, families, and entire communities in a constant state of struggle. Meanwhile, the politicians they control push anti-human rights agendas to keep everyone distracted and divided,” said Larry Rousseau, Executive Vice-President of the CLC. “Well, this TDOV, we’ve got news for them: Canada’s unions remain united against hate and, more determined than ever, will continue the fight for a society that supports dignity, human rights and equal opportunities for all Canadians.”

Workers are taking action every day to build, sustain and defend a progressive and united vision for our unions, workplaces, and communities.  

• Canada’s unions are part of global human rights advocacy efforts for more inclusive and representative language on gender rights and gender justice in bilateral and multilateral agreements that affirm, protect, and dignify the human rights of all working people;
• The CLC is proud to be united with 2SLGBTQIA+ rights organizations across Canada, like the Society of Queer Momentum, EGALE Canada and the Enchante Network, working together on our collective and solidarity-driven vision of an inclusive Canada for every worker and their family; and
• Union representatives are fighting—and winning—provisions at the bargaining table that affirm access to gender affirming health care services, workplace transition supports and anti-violence, harassment, and discrimination policies that make work safer for everyone.

“On Trans Day of Visibility 2026, Canada’s unions are proudly proclaiming that our movement is one of Workers United Against Hate. Together with our allies, we will push back on any anti-worker agenda that seeks to politically divide us, and we will win,” said Rousseau.

The post Canada’s unions stand in support and solidarity with trans and gender-diverse people appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Alongside other laws that advance real equality in the workplace—including human rights, pay equity and accessibility legislation, as well as collective bargaining protections—the EEA is a vital tool for workers facing entrenched, systemic barriers to employment. At its core, employment equity is about ensuring workers have fair and equal access to good, stable jobs—also known as decent work.

In 2023, after extensive consultations with workers, unions, employers, and other stakeholders, the federal government’s Employment Equity Review Task Force released a landmark report with 187 recommendations to modernize and strengthen the Act. These recommendations outline concrete steps to tackle systemic discrimination in hiring, promotion, and retention practices, and provide strong enforcement and compliance measures to hold employers accountable.

Following the report’s release, the previous Liberal government announced initial commitments to modernize the Act. These included creating two new designated groups under the EEA: Black and 2SLGBTQI+ workers; replacing the term “Aboriginal Peoples” with “Indigenous Peoples,” and updating the definition to include First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, and ensuring it is consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act; replacing the term “visible minorities” with “racialized people” and updating the corresponding definition; and, aligning the definition of “persons with disabilities” with the Accessible Canada Act to make it more inclusive.

But three years later, workers are still waiting.

The government’s failure to act means that workers from designated groups—who already face significant equity challenges—continue to be held back by outdated legislation and systemic discrimination. The Task Force report provides a clear roadmap for change, and at a time of deepening inequality, implementing its recommendations is more urgent than ever. Modernizing the Employment Equity Act is an opportunity for the federal government to take meaningful steps toward dismantling barriers faced by the many workers covered by the Act.

Canada’s unions are calling on the federal government to fully implement the comprehensive recommendations made by the Task Force and quickly introduce an updated Act. This must also include sufficient funding to support employers in implementing the Act and the resources necessary for the Canadian Human Rights Commission to carry out enforcement and ensure compliance and effective evaluation.

“No more waiting. A strengthened Act that reflects the current realities of Canada’s workforce and labour market is a critical tool for overcoming workplace barriers faced by workers from the existing designated equity groups, as well as those from the proposed new ones,” said Larry Rousseau, CLC Executive Vice-President.” While the EEA alone cannot eliminate systemic discrimination and racism in the workplace and labour market, it is of a broader framework of laws designed to advance fairness and inclusion. When strengthened and properly enforced, it can help correct systemic injustices and ensure that workers who have been historically excluded from opportunity are fully represented in Canada’s workforce.

The post No More Waiting: Canada’s Unions Demand Action to Modernize the Employment Equity Act appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

It’s time for action on the real economic challenges impacting workers and their families from coast to coast to coast.

“Gender equality is not a side issue; it is central to Canada’s economic security. A resilient care economy, strong public services, and decent union jobs are strategic assets that strengthen communities and industries alike,” said Bea Bruske, President of the CLC.  “Workers want politicians who will stand up for them. The Carney government needs to fight for workers, not side with big business.”

Right now, working women are being squeezed from every direction. Food prices are up, rent and mortgages are rising, child care spaces are still hard to come by in many communities, and public health care is strained. In 2025, 40% of women reported it was difficult or very difficult to meet financial needs.

The impacts of the affordability crisis are especially severe for Indigenous, Black, racialized, newcomer, young, 2SLGBTQI+ women, and women with disabilities. These workers are overrepresented in low-wage, precarious, and care-sector jobs, the very sectors most vulnerable to cuts, privatization, and underfunding.

But when governments tighten budgets, it is women who absorb the impact: through unpaid care, reduced hours, lost services, and increased exposure to violence. Economic downturns do not affect everyone equally: research shows that periods of instability are linked to increases in domestic and gender-based violence. When wages stagnate and services are cut, women and gender diverse people’s safety and independence are put at risk.

Unfortunately, this government’s response to the trade war has largely focused on tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and corporate handouts. As we know, siding with big corporations will only deepen gender inequities and economic disparities.

“No trade deal is better than a bad deal, especially one that fails to centre workers, jobs, communities and Canadian industries,” said Bruske. “Investments in women’s economic justice are critical to strengthening Canada’s economic security.”

This means concrete action: enforcing pay equity, eliminating gender-based violence in the world of work, and making sustained investments in Canada’s care economy at the scale to meet the moment and end the workforce crisis. 

“Women and gender diverse workers are leading the fight for gender justice at work and decent, safe jobs in every sector of Canada’s economy,” said Siobhán Vipond, Executive Vice President of the CLC. “Through our unions, at the bargaining table and in government, we’re pushing for stronger protections and better policies to make our voices heard.”

For decades, unionized women have led the push to make gender justice a core labour priority by fighting for pharmacare, affordable child care, pay equity, gun control, expanded parental leave, and paid domestic violence leave.  

“When we rise up together, we make real change. Women won’t accept the status quo. We’re fighting for a more feminist and equitable future for our workplaces, communities, and our economy,” adds Vipond. 

This IWD, union women and gender diverse workers are Rising Up from coast to coast to coast, and demanding leadership from our federal government on the issues that matter to workers and their families:  

• Fighting back on indiscriminate tariffs that put Canadian jobs and communities at risk.
• Implementing the National Action Plan on Gender Based Violence, including the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work.
• Ending the workforce crisis in the care economy by ensuring the new Care Economy Workforce Alliance delivers concrete improvements to wages and working conditions across care sectors, as well as recommendations to meaningfully invest in both paid and unpaid care sectors. 

The post Rising Up for women’s economic justice appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Canada’s trade policy is failing workers, families and entire communities. For too long, decisions have been made behind closed doors that cost Canadians their jobs, hollow out our industries, and weaken our public services.

The message to parliamentarians is a simple one: Labour has a clear plan and it must have a seat at the table.

WHAT: An economic strategy and future trade deals must centre workers

WHEN: Wednesday, February 4 at 1:15 PM ET

WHERE: Rogers Centre (55 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa), Trillium Room or via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82682528884 (Meeting ID: 826 8252 8884)

WHO:

• Bea Bruske, President, Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)
• Lana Payne, National President, Unifor
• Mark Hancock, National President, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
• Marty Warren, National Director, United Steelworkers (USW)
• Sharon DeSousa, President, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)
• David Chartrand, General Vice-President, Machinists Union (IAM Union)

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To arrange an interview, please contact: 
 CLC Media Relations 
 media@clcctc.ca 
 613-526-7426

The post Labour movement to Parliament: it’s time to put workers at the centre of Canada’s trade strategy appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Canadian Labour Congress President Bea Bruske was joined by leaders from several of Canada’s largest manufacturing and building trades unions representing workers whose jobs, communities, and futures depend directly on trade and industrial policy decisions.

With renewed U.S. tariff threats and growing trade instability, unions warned the federal government against repeating the mistakes of the past: trading away domestic production, good union jobs, and industrial capacity in pursuit of an agreement at any cost.

“Any deal that undermines Canadian jobs or weakens Canada’s ability to build its own economy would be worse than no deal at all,” said Bruske. “The United States has increasingly abandoned the rules-based trading system, using trade pressure to weaken workers, destabilize supply chains, and advantage corporations. Canada must respond from a position of strength, not concession, and refuse to sacrifice workers to appease U.S. demands.”

The CLC is urging the federal government to remain laser-focused on a workers-first trade policy that preserves and expands Canadian jobs, strengthens domestic industry, and regulatory space to invest in domestic manufacturing, supply-chain resilience, and future industries. Canada continues to bleed production and jobs due to U.S. sectoral tariffs on auto, softwood lumber, and other industries, with widening impacts on communities and local economies. The government must urgently work to have these tariffs removed.

At the negotiating table, Canada must defend its right to pursue active industrial policy, enforce strong labour protections, and expand domestic value-added production. Trade rules must not be used to undermine workers’ rights, public services, industrial development, or fair wages.

Unions also pressed for a strong, enforceable labour chapter in any renewed agreement, including expanded use of the Rapid Response Mechanism to hold employers accountable for labour rights violations across North America.

The message from labour was unified and unequivocal: the CUSMA review must strengthen Canadian industries and working-class communities, not hollow them out. The government must engage with unions and bring them into the trade negotiations; unions know their industries better than anyone else. Workers do not want the government trading away their jobs, livelihoods, or economic future just to renew a flawed deal.

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For media inquiries, please contact:   
CLC Media Relations  
media@clcctc.ca   

The post Workers Must Come First in CUSMA — No Trade Deal at the Expense of Jobs, Industry, or Public Services appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Canada’s unions firmly reject any attempt at regime change through force, coercion, or foreign interference. The future of Venezuela must be determined exclusively by the Venezuelan people, through democratic and peaceful means, free from external pressure.

The CLC joins international calls for the protection of civilians, respect for human rights and physical integrity, due process under the law, and the release of any individuals unlawfully detained as a result of this illegal operation.

We align ourselves with the positions expressed by the governments of Brazil, Mexico, and others in the region who have condemned violence and urged an immediate return to diplomatic engagement. Latin America and the Caribbean must remain a zone of peace.

Canada must join those in the international community in condemning this violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, and must work constructively to support dialogue, diplomacy, and peaceful solutions.

“We know the cost of war and foreign intervention. It is always paid by civilians, by workers, and by the most vulnerable,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Canada must stand on the side of peace, international law, and the right of peoples to determine their own future without violence or interference.”

Link to ITUC statement: https://www.ituc-csi.org/ituc-tuca-venezuela

The post Canadian Labour Congress Joins International Labour Movement in Condemning U.S. Military Aggression and Violation of Venezuela’s Sovereignty appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Migrant workers come to Canada in the hopes of securing a better future for themselves and their families. They contribute to our communities and economy, paying income taxes and rent, and purchasing goods and services, despite many being excluded from receiving the same rights and protections as other workers in Canada.

In addition to facing precarity and barriers to full participation and opportunities, migrants are increasingly and unfairly shouldering the blame for decades of policy failures that have led to the current housing and affordability crises, and the lack of good jobs that so many Canadians are experiencing.

“Migrant workers are simply not responsible for our strained public care systems, lack of affordable housing or job shortages, and yet they’re paying the price for government failures to address corporate greed and invest in people and infrastructure. Rather than perpetuate misplaced blame and anger, we need governments to invest ambitiously in affordable housing and well-funded public services”, said Larry Rousseau, Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress.

In addition to being singled out and scapegoated for government policies for which they are blameless, most migrant workers cannot even access equal rights and protections due to a lack of permanent residence status. Workers in Canada’s Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP) streams are subject to closed work permits that tie them to their employer, preventing them from seeking fairer or safer job opportunities, specifically because of their immigration status.

“Those who benefit most from this system are not migrant workers, but recruiters, traffickers, and unscrupulous businesses and employers, who use the program as a constant stream of unfree, unjust labour,” said Rousseau.

These streams effectively trap workers in a system of exploitation, where employers have total control over jobs, wages and working conditions; a system rightly called “a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery” by United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata.

The CLC continues to urge government to put an end to these labour and human rights violations and take immediate action to address government policy that serves the interests of employers, not workers. Government must replace closed, employer-specific work permits with open work permits, provide permanent residency opportunities for low-wage workers, and pathways to permanent residency for former low-wage workers who are undocumented, giving migrant workers access to government supports and the labour protections all workers deserve.

Take action today:

Show your support for migrant care workers by joining our Show We Care campaign!

The post Migrant workers deserve equal rights and opportunities appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“Workers across this country want their government to protect their jobs, their country, and their future,” said Bruske. “Appeasing Donald Trump doesn’t work. Every concession we’ve made has been followed by more attacks. It’s time for Canada to negotiate from a position of strength.”

Bruske told MPs that the U.S. economy depends heavily on Canadian inputs—from energy and electricity to potash, lumber, minerals, and aluminum—and urged the federal government not to give up economic sovereignty in the hope of regaining unimpeded access to the U.S. market.

“The American economy can’t function without Canadian workers and Canadian resources,” said Bruske. “America can’t farm without our potash. It can’t keep the lights on without our electricity. It can’t run without our energy or critical minerals. If America wants our potash, it should buy our cars. That is how leverage works.”

Bruske said workers expect the federal government to defend Canada’s interests with a “solid backbone,” and outlined three core principles for Canada’s approach to CUSMA negotiations:

1. A Worker-First Trade Agenda

Bruske called for strong, enforceable labour chapters that protect workers’ rights across North America, including:

• stronger protections for women and migrant workers,
• clear provisions addressing gender-based violence, and
• robust occupational health and safety rules.

“Fair labour rules must be the foundation of any trade agreement,” she said.

2. Protecting Canada’s Policy and Regulatory Space

Bruske emphasized that Canada must not allow trade negotiations to restrict its ability to:

• build domestic manufacturing and industrial capacity,
• increase value-added production,
• tax multinational corporations fairly,
• require companies to maintain jobs in Canada,
• regulate AI,
• meet climate targets, and
• expand essential public services.

“The United States is intent on restricting Canada’s policy space—from climate regulation to taxation. Canada must protect that space, not bargain it away,” said Bruske.

3. Protecting Public Services

Bruske warned against trade provisions that could undermine public health care, child care, housing, transit, energy, or Employment Insurance.

“Public dollars must deliver public good. We cannot build resilience by hollowing out the systems that support families,” she said.

Bruske concluded by urging the federal government to negotiate with clarity and confidence.

“Canadian workers built this country’s prosperity. They expect their government to defend it and to negotiate with strength, clarity, and a solid backbone.”

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To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post CLC on CUSMA talks: Canada must use its leverage to protect workers appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Workers will be meeting with MPs to push for concrete action on affordability, health care, trade and tariffs, and rebuilding strong public services. CLC President Bea Bruske will outline how the federal government’s 2025 budget failed to address the daily realities facing workers and what working people are demanding instead.

“Budget 2025 leaves workers behind. It ignores the crushing cost of living, the cracks in our public services, and the strain on frontline workers who keep this country running. Workers showed up today because this government didn’t. We’re here to demand a plan that actually puts working people first.”–Bea Bruske, CLC President

WHAT: Budget 2025’s failure to support working families
WHEN: Monday, November 24, at 6:15 PM ET
WHERE: Rogers Centre, Ottawa (55 Colonel By Drive), Trillium Room
WHO: Bea Bruske—President, Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)

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To arrange an interview, please contact: 
CLC Media Relations 
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post Budget 2025 misses the mark: Workers demand real action appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

CLC Senior Economist, DT Cochrane, will also participate in the lock-up and be available for comment following the budget’s release. 

CLC Executive Vice-Presidents Siobhán Vipond and Larry Rousseau will be available for comment following the budget release (but will not be part of the lock-up). 

Budget 2025 Media Lock-Up Details 

Date: November 4, 2025 
Location: John G. Diefenbaker Building, 111 Sussex Drive, Ottawa 

Media Availability: 

• CLC President, Bea Bruske — in lock-up from 2:30 p.m. until the release; available in the foyer afterward 
• CLC Executive VPs, Siobhán Vipond & Larry Rousseau — available by request only 
• CLC Senior Economist, DT Cochrane — in lock-up all day; available in the foyer afterward 

“For workers, the test of this budget is simple: will the richest corporations finally pay their fair share so we can invest in people, good jobs, and communities? Workers can’t keep carrying the load while profits soar.” – Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress 

“What matters in Budget 2025 is whether it delivers real job-creating investments in housing, public infrastructure, and a net-zero future while ensuring workers can move into secure, union jobs with fair wages and benefits.” – Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress 

“Canada has the capacity to build a fairer, more resilient economy, but only if we stop letting concentrated corporate power dictate our priorities. This budget must shift us from short-term profit-first thinking to generational investment in people, productivity, and shared prosperity.” — DT Cochrane, Senior Economist, Canadian Labour Congress 

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To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post Canadian Labour Congress available for comment on Budget 2025 appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act, passed in June 2025, provides an opportunity to facilitate internal trade and accelerate critical nation-building projects. These objectives could support good union jobs and generate lasting economic benefits for workers and communities across Canada.

However, as it relates to Indigenous rights and implementation of the Act, we urge government to heed the concerns of Indigenous organizations and community members regarding consultation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Government must ensure it is fulfilling its commitments to respecting treaty and constitutional rights of Indigenous peoples, as well as its international obligations under UNDRIP, which include the requirement to obtain free, prior, and informed consent when undertaking projects and developing related policies affecting Indigenous peoples’ rights to land, territory and resources.

“Upholding these commitments as part of implementation of the Building Canada Act is not merely a legal duty. It is a matter of enacting true reconciliation and demonstrating that respecting Indigenous peoples’ rights to decision-making is integral and deeply linked to protecting and advancing the national interest,” said Lily Chang, Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress.

Canada’s unions believe that any project deemed to be in the best interest of the Canadian economy must not only reflect economic objectives but also advance labour and human rights, equity, sustainability, and community resilience.

The Building Canada Act offers government an important opportunity to prioritize Indigenous rights and advance reconciliation by guaranteeing a high-standard, rights-based consultative process with Indigenous peoples, an approach that puts people-centred partnership with Indigenous communities, rule of law and human rights first, all of which are essential to building a just and strong economy for all.

Resources:

Check out the links below to find out about events and calls to action from Indigenous organizations across Canada marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation:

Assembly of First Nations

Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Métis National Council
Native Women’s Association of Canada
Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada

And visit our Indigenous Justice Resource Centre for resources to advance reconciliation in your workplace or union.

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Postal services in Canada are under attack, and postal workers are bearing the brunt of decades of bad business decisions made by wealthy executives.  While executives collect massive bonuses, workers are being squeezed. Our communities need reliable, door-to-door delivery that puts service before profit.

Canada Post is a public service, not a for-profit company—and the workers delivering that service deserve fair contracts, decent wages, job security, and safe working conditions.

This rally will serve as a powerful reminder that workers’ strength comes from our unity. This is more than a protest: it’s a fight for the future of good jobs and a strong public postal service in Canada. Together, we will send a clear message to MPs and decision-makers that postal workers deserve better.

WHAT:            Rally in support of the Canadian Postal Service and CUPW members

WHO:              Siobhán Vipond & Larry Rousseau, CLC Executive Vice-Presidents

WHERE:         Parliament Hill, Ottawa

WHEN:           Wednesday, October 1, 11:00 am

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To arrange an interview, please contact: 
CLC Media Relations 
media@clcctc.ca 
613-526-7426

The post Postal workers under attack: labour leaders join Ottawa rally for public postal service appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Canada’s unions are marking 2025 gender equality week by rising with a bold vision for gender justice at the heart of our economy.

“Unions know thatthe economic resilience of our country, depends upon the labour of women and gender diverse workers, whether that is in the workplace, at home or in our communities,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.

Unfortunately, women, and in particular Indigenous, Black, racialized, newcomer, young, 2SLGBTQIA+, and women with disabilities, continue to bear the brunt of the affordability crisis.

This is why the CLC is urging this government to act now on gender inequities in our economy by: 

• Investing in the value of women’s work by adding an additional $20 million over three years to expedite the work of the Office of the Pay Equity Commissioner. This includes ensuring that this office has the resources necessary to support and enforce compliance, including regular independent public reviews and sustained funding for the development of the disaggregated data needed to support pay equity initiatives. 

• Providing sufficient and long-term core operational funding to women’s rights and equality-seeking organizations so they have the stability they need to continue to provide services and carry out vital advocacy and research, including an initial investment of $1 million for consultations on the development of a National Strategy for the Gender-Based Violence Workforce that addresses issues of precarious work, access to decent salaries, pensions, benefits, supports for workers, and retention and recruitment issues. 

• Investing in key social infrastructure to address the epidemic of gender-based violence, including fully funding the continuation of the 10-year National Action Plan to End Gender Based Violence.

• Modernizing the Employment Equity Act with a commitment of $20 million over the next three years to establish:

• A dedicated Employment Equity Commissioner (similar to the Pay Equity Commissioner);

• Two new designated equity groups under the Act: Black people and 2SLGBTQIA+ people; and

• Improved data collection and disaggregation to support intersectional analyses and a better understanding of the distinct and nuanced challenges and barriers to employment faced by equity groups.

• Committing $30 million over the next three years to the operation of the Sectoral Table on the Care Economy to meaningfully respond to the gendered impacts of Canada’s care crisis.

“Any plan on the part of the government to strengthen our economy, which does not include investments in care and care work, will fall short of ensuring all workers, particularly women, are able to fully participate in the labour market,” said Siobhan Vipond, Executive Vice-President of the CLC and member of Canada’s inaugural sectoral table on the Care Economy.

“As this government prepares to unveil its first full budget this fall, Canada’s unions are putting our federal leaders on notice: it’s time to centre gender equity in our budgetary policy and ensure it is a key proponent of sustaining Canada’s economic growth,” added Vipond.

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At a press conference this morning, CLC President Bea Bruske and Senior Economist DT Cochrane warned that Canada’s economy is heading in the wrong direction, and that working people are already paying the price.

“The Bank of Canada’s decision today to cut interest rates is a recognition of the pressure families are under, but the move alone won’t fix Canada’s economic challenges,” said Bruske. “Lower rates might provide some relief, but without serious public investment in housing, health care, jobs, and training, Canadians will be left treading water while the government pushes ahead with cuts.”

Since 2022, unemployment has shot up. Close to half a million more are now out of work. Youth unemployment is nearing 15%, and it’s even worse for Black and Arab youth, hitting around 25%. The cost of living keeps rising, and families across the country are feeling the strain.

“Too many people are working hard and still falling behind,” said Cochrane. “Rent, groceries — everything costs more. But instead of building support systems, the government is reaching for the same old austerity playbook that caused so much harm in the past.”

The CLC is calling on the federal government to take a different approach. That means:

• Investing in affordable housing
• Protecting public services like health care, child care, transit, and education
• Fixing Employment Insurance so everyone who pays in can get support when they need it
• Creating good union jobs through smart public investment and stronger labour laws
• Guaranteeing a better future for young people, with access to decent work, training, or education

“Nation-building isn’t just concrete and steel. It’s also about a strong safety net, healthcare, housing, and skills training. The stuff that actually makes people’s lives better,” said Bruske. “That’s what real leadership looks like. Not slashing services while billion-dollar corporations keep raking in profits.”

Cochrane pointed to recent data showing GDP shrinking and business investment dropping fast.

“The private sector is pulling back. That’s exactly when the public sector should step up, not disappear,” he said. “If the government keeps cutting, it’s only going to make things worse.”

The CLC also criticized the lack of a clear economic plan from the Carney government.

“We keep hearing buzzwords like ‘affordable housing’ and ‘growth,’” said Bruske. “But where’s the plan? Where are the jobs? Who is this economy actually for?”

With nearly 10,000 public service jobs on the chopping block and cuts of up to 15% planned across departments, the CLC says workers are being asked to carry the burden again.

“Workers didn’t cause this crisis,” said Bruske. “But we’re ready to be part of the solution. What we need from the Carney government is courage. Not cuts.

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CLC Media Relations 
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post As Parliament Returns, Canada’s Unions Say: No More Cuts, Invest in Workers appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

WHAT: Press conference to respond to the Bank of Canada’s rate announcement and the federal
government’s economic approach

WHEN: Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at 11:30 AM ET

WHERE: Press Conference Room 135-B, West Block, Parliament Hill 

WHO: Bea Bruske, President, Canadian Labour Congress
             DT Cochrane, Senior Economist, Canadian Labour Congress

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To arrange an interview, please contact: 
CLC Media Relations 
media@clcctc.ca 
613-526-7426

The post Canadian Labour Congress Responds to Bank of Canada Rates and Fall Session of Parliament appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.