Publications

Economic justice depends on bold vision, investment in care 

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…

Happy Labour Day: Workers’ Power Is the Answer to the New Gilded Age

By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress  Happy Labour Day. Today, we celebrate the power of workers — past, present, and future. It was workers who won weekends, universal health care, pensions, unemployment insurance, parental leave, pay equity, and health and safety laws. And it will be workers who win the next generation of rights, protections, and fairness. …

Labour Day Op Ed: It’s Time for a Better Deal for Workers

Canada is at a crossroads. We can continue down a path where workers grapple with rising costs and stagnant wages, or we can work together for a better deal. Workers are the backbone of our economy. Every day, we power industries, drive innovation, and support communities. Yet, as we work to keep Canada running, we face an ever-growing financial squeeze.…

Pro-worker momentum at the DNC spells trouble for Poilievre as well as Trump 

By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress as published in National Newswatch  Donald Trump has a problem: workers. As he eyes a potential victory in November, the Democrats have strategically chosen a union guy to be Kamala Harris’ running mate.  Despite Trump’s repeated attempts to appeal to workers, the Democrats’ VP pick has unleashed a fresh wave of…

Reject corporate gaslighting and deliver help for people in Budget 2024

By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress as published in iPolitics We hear a familiar call coming from wealthy interests – joining forces once again with Conservatives – banging the drum for more corporate tax giveaways and deeper cuts to government spending in the upcoming Budget. Bay Street analysts and bank lobbyists loudly lament Canada’s “tumbling productivity”, sneeringly spreading blame…

Workers to MPs: Either stand with us or the rich business lobby

By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress as published in iPolitics Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre speaks so loudly on so many issues. Which makes his silence deafening on how he’ll vote on a new law, Bill C-58, that would ban the use of replacement workers during strikes and lockouts. After months of trying to woo workers with sympathetic…

Government, workers and businesses must come together to win the low-carbon economic transition

By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress as published in iPolitics  Today Canada faces a once-in-generation economic, environmental, and political challenge, and we won’t get a second chance to get this right.  Our neighbour and biggest trading partner is aggressively adapting their workforces and industries. Countries around the world are accelerating their transition to a zero-carbon economy. If…

Brace yourself for the great ‘Stefansmear’ campaign of 2023

Stefanson hopes to scare you into voting for broken Conservative promises By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress as published in National Newswatch Over the next four weeks, Conservatives will spare no expense to try to scare the wits out of you. Their campaign strategy is, in a nutshell, hoping they can panic you into voting for them…

Bruske: How Canada can create sustainable jobs as we shift to a low-carbon future

By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress as published in the Ottawa Citizen Bill C-50, just tabled, provides a roadmap toward making Canada’s economy competitive for years to come. “On a global scale, clean energy investment has surpassed spending on oil and gas for the first time.” From raging wildfires to extreme storms, each day brings stark reminders…

To union feminists, this International Women’s Day, I salute you

My friends, You have led the charge, for decades, to improve women’s rights and gender equality at work. Years of tireless advocacy, over generations, has tipped the scales through every lobby, campaign, conversation and rally to get that much closer to achieving the feminist and equitable world those who stood before us dreamed of. Now, don’t get me wrong, because…