Canada’s unions say slowing job recovery necessitates urgent government intervention

Canada’s unions say slowing job recovery necessitates urgent government intervention

Canada’s job growth is showing signs of slowdown and Canada’s unions are calling on the federal government to quickly lay out its plan to stem long-term unemployment. The latest figures from this morning’s release of Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey demonstrates a weakening jobs rebound. The survey showed a slowing recovery, with employment rising just 0.5 percent in October, a…

Canada’s workers engage MPs during first-ever Virtual Action Week

By Hassan Yussuff, as published in National Newswatch On any given day of a normal year, Parliament Hill is buzzing with people lobbying elected representatives. According to the federal government’s lobbying commissioner, there were 18,728 monthly communications reports submitted in 2019 20. Those communications reports were generated in large part by paid, registered lobbyists working with large corporations. This year,…

Canada’s unions launch nation’s first-ever virtual lobby week

OTTAWA – Hundreds of workers from communities across Canada are meeting virtually with their MPs this week, part of the country’s first-ever national Action Week, organized by Canada’s unions. Participants will be calling on elected representatives to push for federal investments towards job creation, health care and child care, among other necessary programs. Over 200 meetings are scheduled. “The pandemic…

Canada’s unions welcome increased federal immigration targets

Ottawa – Canada’s unions are applauding the federal government’s announcement today that it plans to welcome more than 1.2 million immigrants to Canada over the next three years. The proposed plan will bring skilled workers, family members and refugees to Canada between 2021 and 2023. “For many years, Canada’s unions have called on the government to increase immigration targets. We…

Canada’s unions join Global Day of Action on Care

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of Canada’s care system. On October 29, Canada’s unions are joining together the International Trade Union Confederation and global unions for a Global Day of Action on Care. Workers around the world want investment in public health and care services including mental health, child care, early childhood education, elderly care and other social care…

A robust immigration system is key to our recovery

By Hassan Yussuff, as published in The Province COVID-19 has forced rethinks on many aspects of our lives that we previously took for granted. That includes thinking about how our communities function, and specifically about who ensures that they continue to, even in times of upheaval. This has brought more visibility to the workers who many of us don’t often…

Canada’s unions: Throne Speech signals commitment to invest in workers

OTTAWA – Canada’s unions welcome the policy direction the government has laid out in today’s Speech from the Throne, with a focus on investing in job creation and social programs that will support those most impacted by the pandemic. “The government is making it clear that it is listening to the concerns of workers and their families by recognizing that…

Canada’s unions call for a feminist recovery plan

Canada’s unions are marking Gender Equality Week by calling on the federal government to ensure a recovery plan that is rooted in equity and leaves no one behind. This year’s week-long commemoration is happening against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Speech from the Throne. “This pandemic has laid bare the gender inequities in our society,” said Marie…

Throne speech must move the country forward

OTTAWA – Canada’s unions are calling on the federal government to make firm commitments towards investing in the country’s economic recovery in the upcoming Speech from the Throne. “Social programs like national pharmacare and child care will help to rectify structural inequities that this pandemic has made all the more clear,” said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.…

Canada’s unions celebrate BC court rejection of private health care

OTTAWA – Canada’s unions applaud the decision by the BC Supreme Court to uphold the integrity of the country’s single-payer health care system. The Cambie Surgeries Centre case put Canada’s public medicare system on trial and threatened the principle of universal and equal access to health care. The court’s decision to reject the arguments made by Dr. Brian Day is a…