Federal government must follow Ontario’s lead on universal approach to child care
June 7, 2017
Canada’s unions are welcoming the Ontario government’s commitment to a universal approach to child care and say the federal government must do the same. The Ontario government has announced a renewed Early Years and Child Care Policy Framework that pledges to make child care more accessible and affordable to all families, including a plan to invest in new child care…
Compared to the significant announcements made in the 2016 budget and fall economic statement, Wednesday’s federal budget is much more modest, lacking the same ambition to address the pressing challenges facing working Canadians. While it provides more details regarding multi-year investments in housing, public transit and other areas, it adds relatively little in the way of new spending. The Canadian…
Compared to the significant announcements made in the 2016 budget and fall economic statement, Wednesday’s federal budget is much more modest, lacking the same ambition to address the pressing challenges facing working Canadians. While it provides more details regarding multi-year investments in housing, public transit and other areas, it adds relatively little in the way of new spending. The Canadian…
CLC sees skills training, infrastructure and child care as budget highlights
March 22, 2017
The Canadian Labour Congress says today’s federal budget takes positive steps on a few key issues for working Canadians and their communities. “We are pleased to see today’s budget invest in several key areas that unions have long championed, including infrastructure, skills training, and child care,” said Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff. “By investing in skills training and infrastructure,…
After the Trudeau government introduced its first budget last year, Canada’s unions were optimistic, but knew that much more would be needed to really build a fairer and more prosperous Canada. Infrastructure funding, and improvements to EI and the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors emerged as highlights in the 2016 budget. But working Canadians and their families were left waiting…
Win for workers as government restores eligibility age for retirement benefits
March 17, 2016
Today the Canadian Labour Congress celebrated the Prime Minister’s announcement that his government will maintain the eligibility for Old Age Security at 65. In 2012, the Conservatives announced they would raise the age to 67 starting in 2023. “We have been calling for the government to ensure the eligibility age remains at 65 since the Conservatives announced the change four…
Top 10 things Canadian unions want to see in the federal budget
March 14, 2016
Early next week, the federal Liberal government will table their first budget. This is an historic opportunity for our government to respond to the jobs crisis, while also beginning to repair services and programs that Canadians rely on. Working Canadians and their families are facing a precarious economic picture, but Canada is well-positioned to turn things around. Last October, the…
Overview and context Budget 2015 sticks closely to the federal government’s seven-year script of spending cuts, restrained investment and tax measures largely benefiting wealthy Canadians. The 2015 budget has been advertised as the return to balance after 7 years of deficits, a period of red ink prolonged by massive tax cuts that further weakened an already sluggish recovery and added…
Federal Budget 2015: Not the economic stimulus we needed
April 23, 2015
The Canadian Labour Congress says the federal budget does not deliver the economic stimulus Canadians needed to feel better about their future. “As expected, this is a pre-election budget, with lots of little gifts aimed at fending off critics and buying votes from certain constituencies,” said CLC president Hassan Yussuff. “It does not launch the economic stimulus Canadians need to…
The most important economic problem faced by Canadians today is not government deficits, and solutions are not to be found in returning to balanced budgets too quickly. The most pressing problems faced by Canadians are a sluggish economic recovery, a stalled jobs market, and record-high levels of household debt, along with inadequate employment insurance coverage and lack of retirement security.…