Budget 2021: Canada’s unions call for strong measures to help pandemic recovery

Budget 2021: Canada’s unions call for strong measures to help pandemic recovery

As people in Canada continue to struggle with the impacts of COVID-19, workers and their families need strong measures to help ensure a healthy economic recovery when the pandemic is over. In Budget 2021, the federal government will unveil its roadmap towards economic recovery. The CLC recently presented its recommendations for Budget 2021 in a pre-budget submission to the government.…

Canada’s unions call on Ottawa to protect Uyghurs in China

Canada’s unions applaud Parliament’s recognition that the Chinese government is committing genocide against its Muslim minority and is now calling on Ottawa to act accordingly. The Government of Canada should now move to officially recognize the genocide and implement the recommendations of the Subcommittee of International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development (SDIR). Witnesses…

Canada’s unions mark Pink Shirt Day by calling for an end to workplace violence and harassment

Canada’s unions are marking Pink Shirt Day by calling on the federal government to ratify ILO Convention 190, a global convention to end all violence and harassment at work, including gender-based violence. Although Canada adopted Convention 190 in 2019, the federal government has yet to ratify the convention, which would turn the global treaty into law. Pink Shirt Day is…

Canada’s unions welcome extension of EI and recovery benefits

Canada’s unions welcome the extension to income supports announced by the federal government today as a necessary step towards providing further financial security to those who need it. The government announced 12-week extensions for both the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) and the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB), as well as an additional 24 weeks of eligibility for Employment Insurance. “This will…

Latest job numbers point to need for urgent extension of EI benefits and job retraining

OTTAWA – Canada’s unions are urgently calling on the federal government to extend EI and recovery benefits along with increasing support for skills retraining as workers continue to struggle with rising unemployment. Following higher than expected job losses at the end of 2020, workers faced another large drop in employment, with 213,000 jobs lost last month. “We’ve lost the small…

Canada’s unions welcome new terrorist listings for far-right white supremacist groups

OTTAWA – Canada’s unions welcome today’s announcement by the federal government that it has added four violent, far-right extremist groups to its list of terrorist organizations. The Proud Boys, the Base, Atomwaffen, and the Russian Imperial Movement have been listed as terrorist entities. This means that these groups can no longer raise money or organize. “These groups are a direct…

Canada’s unions mark Black History Month by calling for racial justice in pandemic response and recovery

Canada’s unions are marking Black History Month by calling for an end to systemic anti-Black racism. This includes urging the federal government to disaster-proof Canada’s social safety net to ensure a COVID-19 response and recovery that is rooted in racial justice. “This is a time of reckoning,” said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). “The double crisis of…

Canada’s unions call for National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia

Canada’s unions are calling on the federal government to designate January 29 as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia, in memory of the victims of the deadly shooting at a Quebec City mosque four years ago. The attack claimed the lives of six worshippers and injured many more. “Canada’s unions stand in solidarity with Muslim communities across…

EI for the 21st Century

Canada’s Employment Insurance (EI) program is falling short. Over the past year, the shortcomings of the program have become all the more clear. EI needs to be reformed to match the current reality of the world of work. Read our recommendations for EI reform here.

End-of-year unemployment data shows need for continued support for workers

“Even as the vaccine roll-out begins, we can see that the tough times aren’t behind us yet,” said Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff. “The end-of-year unemployment data remind us that strong government support continues to be a vital lifeline for workers and their families who are struggling through the economic shock of the pandemic.” The December Labour Force Survey,…