The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting all of us in myriad ways. Many workers are feeling the negative impacts on their mental health and well-being. We need to advocate for better mental health resources and supports for workers. This can help prevent mental illnesses from occurring in the first place. That’s why the Canadian Labour Congress offers a Mental Health At…
Health and Safety Conditions for Re-Opening Sectors of the Economy
May 8, 2020
As Canadian jurisdictions begin to open sectors of their economy it is important that working people have the protections they need to be able to do their jobs safely and get home to their loved ones at the end of every day without being injured, made ill or killed as a result of their work. This is a monumental challenge…
Canada’s unions call for mental health support for workers
May 4, 2020
Canada’s unions are marking Mental Health Week with a recognition of the considerable impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of workers and a call for governments and workplaces to provide access to support and take steps to prevent mental injuries at work. The impact of COVID-19 on workplaces, communities and families across Canada is unprecedented. Many workers have lost…
Canada’s unions mark May Day by launching campaign to advocate for frontline heroes
May 1, 2020
Canada’s unions are marking International Workers’ Day this year by launching a new campaign to bring attention to the vital contributions of essential workers and to advocate for better treatment. “There are 4.9 million workers across the country who have been deemed essential, and many of them have been struggling to make a decent living for years,” said CLC President…
Canada’s unions renew call for National Action Plan on Violence Against Women and Girls
April 29, 2020
As the country mourns the loss of twenty-two lives in last week’s horrific mass shooting in Nova Scotia, Canada’s unions are once again calling for a National Action Plan on Violence Against Women and Girls. Although there is still much we do not know about this tragedy, now the deadliest massacre in Canadian history, it has come to light that…
Canada’s unions welcome quick passage of wage subsidy bill
April 11, 2020
OTTAWA – Canada’s unions welcome today’s quick passage of the federal government’s bill to legislate wage subsidies. With unanimous consent of all parties, Bill C-14: A second Act respecting certain measures in response to COVID-19 passed during a special sitting at the House of Commons. The bill will now pass the Senate and receive Royal Assent by the end of…
COVID-19 has exposed wide gaps in Canada’s social-safety net
April 9, 2020
By Hassan Yussuff, as published in The Globe and Mail Across the country, Canadians are stepping up even as the world feels as though it’s turning upside-down. We can see, perhaps now more than ever, how critical it is for governments to support and strengthen our society as a whole. That includes ensuring that all workers and the most vulnerable…
Canada’s unions support nurses, midwives and all health care workers
April 7, 2020
For World Health Day 2020, the World Health Organization is celebrating the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Right now, nurses and midwives are working shoulder to shoulder with all health care workers at ground zero of the largest pandemic in modern history. Health care workers are working overtime, playing a critical role for their patients across the country…
Canada’s unions are calling on Canada’s banks and credit card companies to step up and take action to support families through the COVID-19 crisis by reducing sky-high credit card interest rates. “The Bank of Canada has reduced its lending rate to historically low levels and that means it’s cheaper for financial institutions to borrow money,” said Canadian Labour Congress President,…
Rules around sick leave differ across Canada and legislative changes are happening quickly. These are the most up-to-date numbers. Canada’s unions have called on the provincial, territorial and federal governments to provide immediate income supports to workers affected by COVID-19 quarantine and closures. We have also called for employers to permit flexible working arrangements and provide paid sick leave while…