With the pandemic as the backdrop, researchers and unions are launching a national survey that aims to gauge the severity and measure the response to violence and harassment in Canada’s workplaces. “The issue of violence and harassment at work has taken on new urgency during COVID-19,” said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). “Workers facing violence and harassment…

Canada’s unions are condemning the illegal efforts of non-Indigenous fishers to sabotage the inherent rights of the Mi’kmaq people to hunt, fish and gather off the coast of Nova Scotia, and are calling on the federal government to take immediate action to end the racist violence and uphold their treaty rights. “We are appalled and outraged by the relentless attempts…

OTTAWA – Canada’s unions welcome the job gains reported in the September findings from Statistics Canada’s monthly labour force survey released today, but are warning that expanded government investment will remain crucial to a full economic recovery. “Despite ongoing gains, the latest numbers continue to signal medium-term risks to Canada’s labour market,” said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour…

As communities across Canada, and around the world, grapple with COVID-19, racialized communities have not only been disproportionately impacted by the health fall-out, but are also dealing with the violent legacy of colonialism, police brutality, and systemic racism. Canada’s unions are committed to standing in solidarity with racialized and Indigenous communities in upholding principles of equity, justice, and human rights.…

It is of the utmost importance that the lessons we have learned throughout this pandemic help us shape a brighter future for people living in Canada. This crisis has shone a light on some of the vast inequalities in this country. As we move towards recovery, it’s clear we have to strengthen the social safety and disaster-proof our nation. COVID-19…

COVID-19 has exposed flaws in social protections in Canada and around the world. The effects of this pandemic on health, employment, income, gender and racial equity are all the more catastrophic because of pre-existing gaps in our social safety net. Before the pandemic, ever-increasing globalization meant many workers were employed in precarious, low-wage work with few, if any, benefits. Now…

Like so many other occasions, Thanksgiving won’t be the same this year due to COVID-19. Rates of COVID-19 are rising again, and many people in Canada will mark the holiday with fewer people around the table. What is not on the table will also be a source of anxiety and trepidation as growing numbers of individuals and families struggle with…

Every October 4, Sisters in Spirit events honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit persons (MMIWG2S) and their families. Canada’s unions join communities across the country to mourn and to call for action. “This ongoing crisis, and the long history of colonialist attitudes that devalues the being and culture of Indigenous peoples, is our biggest shame,”…

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of people across Canada. It is important to recognize the negative impact, and reflect on the stigma still associated with mental illness in our workplaces and communities. Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW), this week from October 4 to 10, is part of a national public education campaign in…

September 30 is recognized across Canada as Orange Shirt Day to commemorate the children who were removed from their families and sent to residential schools where many became victims of physical, sexual, mental and emotional abuse and torture. Orange Shirt Day serves as an important reminder of the legacy of residential schools, the generational trauma and systemic barriers still faced…