Publications

The Bank’s forgotten mandate: Support maximum sustainable employment

BRUSKE: More balanced economic policies needed to avoid devastating job losses OTTAWA –– A year after the Bank of Canada received a new mandate, Canada’s unions are asking what happened to the new directions that added employment considerations when the Bank is setting Canada’s monetary policy. “A year ago, amidst great fanfare, the Bank received direction that Canada’s monetary policy…

Canada’s unions: hate and racism cannot continue to go unchecked

Canada’s unions have long brought workers together in solidarity and unity to carry on the fight against racism in our workplaces and communities. As we mark Human Rights Day—observed annually on December 10—Canada’s unions are calling out rising hate and racism, and underscoring the path set 25 years ago when they released the National Anti-Racism Task Force report titled Challenging…

Premiers and PM must get health deal done

BRUSKE: Political bickering must be replaced with all-hands-on-deck urgency to save kids’ lives OTTAWA––Canada faces a rising number of children getting seriously ill and even dying from the ‘tripledemic’ of COVID, flu and RSV. Canada’s unions are calling on politicians at all levels to stop the blame and bickering and come together behind providing health care workers with the resources…

New child care legislation includes important commitment to non-profit child care and a qualified and well-supported workforce

Bruske: We welcome new child care legislation and will fight to strengthen it as it moves through committee OTTAWA –– Canada’s unions welcome today’s early learning and child care legislation, Bill C‑35, another success born of the cooperation between the NDP and the Liberal government. “Ensuring affordable, high quality, accessible and flexible services means we will have a Canada-wide system…

Missed opportunity to push pause on rate hikes and put people first

BRUSKE: We should do everything we can to avoid job losses and a painful recession OTTAWA––Canada’s unions reacted with disappointment to the Bank of Canada’s decision today to rush ahead with the seventh interest rate hike this year. “Economists have urged the Bank of Canada to let the impact of previous rate hikes take hold before taking further action that…

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

By Bea Bruske, as published in the Financial Times. 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 commit to ending gender-based violence and say never again!

Every year on December 6th people across Canada remember the 14 women who were murdered in a horrific act of gender-based violence at Montreal’s École Polytechnique. This is a day to honour those lost to gender-based violence and to commit to eliminating it by taking concrete actions. Canada’s unions have marked the National Day of Remembrance and Action since the…

Canada’s unions call for fast-tracking of Canada Disability Benefit

Canada’s unions are marking the International Day for Persons with Disabilities by renewing the call for a fast-tracked Canada Disability Benefit. People with disabilities continue to face significantly higher costs of living than people without disabilities and struggle to cover the cost of basic necessities including specialised equipment, prescriptions not covered by health insurance plans and accessible housing retrofits. These extra…

Sylvain Le May – Winner of the 2022 Carol McGregor CLC Disability Rights Award

December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities—which aims to promote awareness and mobilize support for disability rights issues. On this day, the CLC recognizes a union member for their disability rights activism. This year, on the eleventh anniversary of the award, the Canadian Labour Congress is pleased to announce CUPE Local 1294 activist Sylvain Le May as…

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…