Publications

Like Biden, Trudeau should put good union jobs on the agenda

By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress as published in The Hill Times Behind the smiles and handshakes when a U.S. president visits Canada are long hours of painstaking negotiations. Officials plan the trip to the minute and fight it out over every item on the agenda. An agenda that will no doubt include U.S. protectionism and ‘Buy…

Enough is enough: It’s time to put workers and pensioners before big banks and CEOs.

By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress as published in The Hill Times No matter who we are, most of us want financial security for ourselves and our families when we retire. We give our all and spend decades dedicating our time and energy to our employers. When we retire, we depend on our hard-earned pensions to provide…

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…

Workers are sounding the alarm—parliamentarians must take heed

By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress as published in The Hill Times Ask any worker in Canada how they are faring right now, and they will most likely tell you that they are struggling. The issues facing workers and their families are stacking up. Eye-watering costs for food, housing, and other necessities are hammering workers’ wallets. Inflation…

Beware of Premiers bearing promises of a quick health care fix

By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, and Patty Coates, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour, as published in National Newswatch. Winston Churchill famously said, ‘Never let a good crisis go to waste,’ and clearly Premiers Doug Ford in Ontario and Danielle Smith in Alberta, took note. Both are seizing this crisis in our health care system…

Bea Bruske: Bank of Canada should pause rate hikes now to avert a manufactured recession

By Bea Bruske, as published in the Financial Post. Bank risks substantially weakening our economy, potentially throwing hundreds of thousands of Canadians out of work Facing a one-two punch of sky-high prices on daily essentials combined with rising credit card, mortgage and other bills, the last thing Canadians need right now is a recession, which could mean massive job losses…

It’s time to end gender-based violence at work

A call centre worker receives a torrent of verbal abuse while helping a customer. A nurse returns from work with bruises and torn scrubs after being attacked by an agitated patient. A barista is stalked by a regular customer. These stories are a daily reality for many workers across Canada–and unfortunately, current worker protections fall short. For the past three…

A path to the middle class for millions of workers

By Bea Bruske, as published in The Province If you appreciate having weekends, a forty-hour work week, pensions, compensation for workplace injuries, maternity leave or even collective bargaining at all, thank a union organizer. The reality is, without the contributions of the labour movement, Canadian workers wouldn’t have these or so many other protections. But these gains were not accomplished…

Bank of Canada governor should stay in his lane and not undermine collective bargaining

It isn’t the 1970s; evidence does not point to a wage-price spiral. So why is Tiff Macklem now warning about wages rather than corporate profiteering? By Bea Bruske, as published in the Toronto Star The spotlight has shone brightly on Canada’s Bank Governor this year. Tiff Macklem’s starring role has put him centre stage in Canada’s ongoing inflation drama. As…

Canada at an Economic Crossroads: A Better Normal or Settling for Worse?

By Bea Bruske, as published in National Newswatch With the federal budget just a day away, Bay St. CEOs and senior bankers are stumbling over themselves, rushing to declare mission accomplished and claim the economic crisis is over. They are determined to fill up Canada’s opinion pages with arguments urging the government that it’s time to go back to normal.…