Publications

European and Canadian Labour Leaders Stand Together for Workers’ Rights

Joint European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) statement ahead of the EU-Canada Summit MONTRÉAL – The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), together representing close to 50 million workers, support a closer and deeper partnership between the European Union and Canada. At a time of tariff threats, geopolitical instability, and…

CLC brings solution to Parliamentary Committee as Bill C-39 threatens labour stability

OTTAWA – Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) President Bea Bruske will appear before the parliamentary committee studying Bill C-39 today, warning MPs that the government’s proposed powers to end legal strikes could undermine the labour stability they purport to improve. Bruske will urge committee members to remove the proposed expansion of Section 107 and adopt amendments the CLC has already presented…

Workers rally at MPs’ offices across Canada to defend right to strike

OTTAWA – Workers are rallying in 21 communities across Canada today, warning MPs that Bill C-39 will fuel labour unrest as some of the country’s largest unions pledge to defy the proposed restrictions on the right to strike. With MPs home for constituency week, demonstrations are taking place outside constituency offices across the country, including those of Prime Minister Mark…

Bill C-39 could create more labour unrest, union leaders warn

OTTAWA — Bill C-39 could make labour disputes longer and harder to resolve, union leaders warned MPs Thursday, undermining the stability the federal government says the legislation is intended to protect. Ahead of Thursday’s second reading vote, Canadian Labour Congress President Bea Bruske joined Candace Rennick, National Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Tom Doran, President of the…

Global labour body warns Bill C-39 could violate Canada’s international obligations

OTTAWA — The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has written directly to Prime Minister Mark Carney, warning that Bill C-39’s proposed restrictions on the right to strike are “highly likely to violate” Canada’s international labour obligations under ILO Convention 87. Representing workers through national trade union organizations in 169 countries and territories, the ITUC is calling on the federal government…

CEOs covered by new labour code make up to 199 times more than their workers

OTTAWA — As some of Canada’s biggest employers welcome the government’s new restrictions on the right to strike, new analysis from the Canadian Labour Congress finds that CEOs at six of Canada’s biggest employers make as much as 199 times the average compensation in their industries. In 2024, the CEOs of Air Canada, CN, CPKC, Rogers, Bell, and TELUS received…

Bill C-39 would give Canadian government broadest strike intervention powers in G7 

OTTAWA — If passed, Bill C-39 would give the Canadian government broader unilateral power to end a legal strike than exists in any other G7 country, according to a comparative legal analysis commissioned by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).  That includes Donald Trump’s United States, where even the President cannot unilaterally end a national-emergency strike and impose a binding settlement. U.S.…

Employers cheer Bill C-39 restrictions on the right to strike

OTTAWA — Employer groups are welcoming Bill C-39’s new powers to end legal strikes. Canada’s unions say their reaction exposes the contradiction in the government’s claims about “strengthening” workers’ rights. “When large corporations are cheering new government powers to shut down legal strikes, workers should be alarmed,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Bill C-39 gives one…

Canada’s unions united against new restrictions on the right to strike

OTTAWA — Canada’s unions are united in calling on the federal government to remove new restrictions on the right to strike from its proposed changes to the Canada Labour Code. “Last night, I met with the heads of Canada’s unions, representing workers across the country and every part of our economy. We are united: any new restriction on the right…

Airport privatization will cost Canadians, warns CLC

Statement from Lily Chang, Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress: “Private investors don’t put billions into airports unless they expect to make billions back. The government is pointing to Australia as its model, and we’ve already seen the results there: higher costs for passengers and airlines, pressure on workers, and more airport revenue flowing to private investors. Canada’s airports are…