Publications

Federal government announces positive changes to drug pricing regulations

Canada’s unions applaud today’s announcement by the federal government of new measures updating Canada’s drug-pricing regulations. “Many life-saving medicines are unaffordable. This new framework will better protect Canadians from skyrocketing drug prices by lowering the cost of brand name medicines,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff. “This is a good step towards a universal public pharmacare program in Canada.” Canada currently…

Strong job numbers mask reality of struggling young workers

OTTAWA – The country’s strong job numbers aren’t providing the full picture when it comes to the participation rate of young workers in the economy, according to analysis by Canada’s unions. While unemployment rates continue to fall overall, many Canadians aged 15 to 29 are staying in school or giving up looking for work altogether, according to the Canadian Labour…

Labour Market Snapshot – Q2 2019

In the CLC’s latest Labour Market Snapshot, analysis shows that Canada’s strong job numbers mask the reality of struggling young workers.   While unemployment rates continue to fall overall, many Canadians aged 15-29 are staying in school or giving up looking for work altogether. In particular, the number of people aged 25 to 29 who are not in employment, education,…

Canada’s unions applaud pilot project offering greater protection to migrant workers

Canada’s unions welcome a new three-year agri-food pilot program which will provide an additional 2,750 permanent residency opportunities for temporary foreign workers engaged in the sector, particularly in the meat industry. The proposed program, announced today by Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, is open to full-time non-seasonal agricultural migrant workers and will help give them a pathway to permanent residency. “The…

Federal government must protect workers following export ban

Canada’s unions are calling on the federal government to ensure Canadian workers are protected from job and income loss following China’s recent ban on Canadian beef and pork exports. The ban was imposed after Chinese customs inspectors detected a prohibited feed additive in a batch of pork shipments labelled as Canadian. The Canada Food and Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the…

Universal pharmacare should be an easy pill to swallow

By Hassan Yussuff, as published in the Toronto Sun. Finally, some good news for the millions of Canadians who have to choose between paying for groceries or their prescription medications. Canada’s Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare has laid out a clear path for public, single-payer, universal pharmacare in its final report. “The time for universal, single-payer, public…

A historic step towards greater protections for workers around the world

Canada’s unions join workers everywhere in celebrating today’s historic adoption of a new International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention and Recommendation addressing violence and harassment in the world of work. After over a year of negotiations with governments, employers, and workers, the Centenary International Labour Conference adopted the new framework at its convention in Geneva. “It is a historic day,” said…

Canada’s unions mark National Indigenous Peoples Day by calling for further action towards reconciliation

This National Indigenous Peoples Day, Canada’s unions say action on reconciliation must become an urgent national priority. Earlier this month, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) released its final report, including 231 Calls for Justice to address the alarming rate of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. To date, no implementation plans…

Canada’s unions stand with locked out steelworkers in Quebec

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) fully supports the United Steelworkers (USW) complaint against the Government of Quebec for violating international labour laws and severely impeding the rights of workers. One thousand members of USW have been locked out of their workplace at an aluminum smelter in Bécancour, Quebec for the past 17 months. Over the spring of 2019, Quebec’s Premier François…

National strike in Brazil

Canadian workers stand in solidarity with Brazilian trade unions protesting government pension policies that weaken workers’ rights. On Friday, June 14, Brazilian trade union national centres, grassroots unions, students, and popular and social movements are going on a national general strike to protest government neoliberal reforms to the Brazilian social security system. These reforms attack poorer workers while maintaining the…