This Earth Day, unions are calling for a carbon reduction strategy for workers and communities
April 22, 2018
This Earth Day, Canada’s unions say workers and communities need a strategy for transitioning to a zero-carbon world. “Unions, business, communities and governments must work together on comprehensive strategies that will ensure those most affected can adapt and thrive as we shift to a zero-carbon economy,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff. Yussuff pointed to the reality of climate change around…
Unions applaud Canada’s commitment to a just transition for coal workers
November 16, 2017
Canada’s unions are applauding the federal government for showing international leadership on climate change by announcing plans to tie Canada’s phase-out of coal-fired electricity with a just transition for affected workers and communities. “Canada has seized an opportunity to set an international example by proving that ambitious economic restructuring policy to save our planet can be drafted with people at…
Unions respond to US announcement on Paris climate change agreement
June 2, 2017
The international trade union movement is speaking out with deep concern following US President Donald Trump’s announcement about US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. This morning, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), which represents 181 million workers in 163 countries, released a statement outlining the ways Trump’s decision puts workers and human rights at risk globally. Canadian Labour Congress…
Earth Day is an international call to action to protect the environment. With 2017 being celebrated as the150th anniversary of Canadian confederation, it is an opportunity to ask ourselves: What can we learn from what’s been done to our planet over the last 150 years? How can we tackle our environmental challenges to ensure a clean growth future for the next…
CLC applauds carbon pricing targets but calls for a just and fair transition for workers
October 3, 2016
The CLC welcomes the federal government’s announcement of an ambitious initiative to tackle climate change through proposed carbon pricing. As a next step, the CLC calls for a federal strategy to guarantee new opportunities for workers and communities impacted by the transition to a low-carbon economy. “Today’s carbon pricing announcement is an important and necessary step for our government to…
Earth Day: Let’s leave a legacy of sustainability for future generations
April 19, 2016
The world’s climate is changing, but something else is changing too: the will to act on this crisis has never been stronger. This year, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is marking Earth Day (April 22) by renewing its call for a One Million Climate Jobs plan that would allow Canada to transition from fossil-fuel reliance to a sustainable, low-to-zero carbon economy…
David Suzuki joins with CLC to support a One Million Climate Jobs plan
March 2, 2016
VANCOUVER – On the eve of the March 3 First Ministers’ meeting in Vancouver, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is proposing a plan that will help Canada reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by one third by creating over one million sustainable climate jobs, allowing workers to transition away from fossil fuels. The CLC – as part of the Green Economy…
Collaborative approach will be key to realizing Canada’s climate change obligations
December 12, 2015
The Paris COP21 Climate Change Summit has culminated in an agreement that commits governments to the long-term goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by the second half of this century. The agreement mandates reviews of emission reduction plans starting in 2018, signalling a commitment by all countries to phase out fossil fuels and reduce emissions to zero by the…
Labour delegation to champion a just transition to a green economy at Paris Climate Change Summit
November 26, 2015
The Canadian Labour Congress is leading a 35-member delegation of public and private sector union representatives at the COP21 meetings on climate change in Paris next week. “We will work to ensure the negotiated text contains ambitious emission reduction targets and the ratcheting up mechanism that the previous Canadian government worked so hard to stonewall,” said CLC president Hassan Yussuff.…
CLC adopts statement seeking meaningful commitments ahead of UN Climate Change Summit
November 19, 2015
The CLC's COP21 statement calls on Canada to commit to ambitious, achievable science-based targets for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I. Labour’s Urgent Need to Address the Climate Crisis Canada and the world must respond forcefully and without delay to the climate crisis. Climate change is already having significant negative impacts on workers and their communities, in Canada and around…