Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s comments today, stating that he would not expand Pharmacare, make it clear that he is siding with Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives instead of standing with Canadians.

Let’s be clear: this is a choice. A choice by Liberals and Conservatives to let corporations and Big Pharma keep profiting while workers and their families pay the price. 

Poll after poll shows that Canadians overwhelmingly support Pharmacare. 

Mr. Carney should uphold the Liberal legacy by following through on the Hoskins Report.

They still have a choice: they can stand with workers and immediately expand Pharmacare.

The NDP has been unwavering in its commitment to Pharmacare. Together, we fought to secure the Pharmacare Act, and we will keep fighting until all Canadians have access to a universal, fully public prescription Pharmacare program.

The fallout from these tariffs will be devastating; thousands of workers will lose their jobs and, with that, their workplace health benefits. Now is the time for leadership, not political cowardice. Canada’s unions have advocated for universal public Pharmacare for decades, and in this moment of crisis, we demand urgent action.

We are calling for the expansion of universal, single-payer public Pharmacare to immediately cover 50% of the most prescribed drugs with full implementation by 2027. 

Across the country, workers and their families are caught between aggressive U.S. trade threats, corporate price gouging, and increasingly strained health care and public services. 

The urgency for universal Pharmacare cannot be overstated—this is about ensuring that every Canadian, regardless of income or employment status, has access to the medication they need.

On April 28th, Canada’s unions will be closely watching to see which politicians stand with workers and which ones side with wealthy corporations.

The next government must be ready to take bold action from day one.

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The post Canada’s unions call for immediate expansion of universal Pharmacare appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

The passing of the Pharmacare Act is a direct result of decades of advocacy from the labour movement, civil society groups, and the tireless efforts of political leaders. The Canadian Labour Congress’ Pharmacare campaign has brought together tens of thousands of workers and activists, hosting cross-country town halls and lobbying parliamentarians. In just the past few weeks, hundreds of calls were made to senators. The CLC also recognizes the New Democratic Party (NDP) for its decades of dedication to this fight and thanks the federal government for delivering on its promise to prioritize pharmacare through the confidence-and-supply agreement. 

“This is a monumental win for workers and their families,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “For too long, people across this country have had to choose between putting food on the table and paying for the medications they need. Bill C-64 brings us one step closer to ending that predicament, but we still have work to do.” 

Canada’s unions urge all levels of government to move swiftly and decisively to ensure this is just the beginning. Bill C-64 sets the framework, but it is essential that provincial and territorial governments sign bilateral agreements to implement the program fully and equitably across the country. 

“We are celebrating today, but we know this is just the first step toward a truly comprehensive, single-payer public pharmacare program,” added Bruske. “We call on every province and territory to get on board, so that no Canadian is left behind. This is an opportunity to build a stronger, fairer healthcare system for all.” 

The Canadian Labour Congress remains committed to ensuring the implementation of a national pharmacare program and looks forward to working alongside the federal government, provinces, territories, and Indigenous communities to make this a reality. 

“We must continue working together to finish what we’ve started,” Bruske said. 

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The post HISTORIC WIN FOR CANADIANS AS THE PHARMACARE ACT PASSES  appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

OTTAWA – As Parliament adjourns for the summer, Canada’s unions are celebrating major and historic victories for the labour movement. However, the struggle is far from over.

We are finally charting a course towards a sustainable future with workers at the forefront. Last October, Poilievre’s Conservatives stalled Bill C-50 in committee for over a month, engaging in nothing but shenanigans and squandering time and public funds.

Today, workers can celebrate the Royal Assent of the Sustainable Jobs Act, a landmark legislation that grants workers a decisive voice in shaping their future.

The CLC would like to thank the government and the NDP for moving Bill C-50 through the House of Commons and Senator Hassan Yussuff for sponsoring the Bill in the Senate.

The next imperative is for the government to collaborate with industry and workers to set concrete goals that create and protect good union jobs as we confront climate change and establish the Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council.

“This legislation might never have materialized if workers from coast to coast hadn’t raised their voices,” declared Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “By bringing together workers, unions, and businesses, governments now have the potential to drive innovation, decarbonize existing jobs for long-term sustainability, and generate new low-carbon job jobs that enable workers to support their families.”

Another monumental triumph for the labour movement is the passage of Bill C-58, the Anti-Scab legislation, which received unanimous support from MPs and clearance by the Senate. After decades of relentless advocacy, Canada now has federal anti-scab legislation. This is crucial for protecting workers and their right to strike. The use of scab labour not only undermines this right but also exacerbates labour disputes and intensifies hostility on picket lines.

“I’ve heard countless stories from workers who have faced direct confrontations during strikes, jeopardizing their safety and livelihoods. This must never happen. We are pleased to see this long-overdue protection for workers that will significantly restore balance at the bargaining table,” added Bruske.

Earlier this week, CLC President Bea Bruske, alongside Jason Maclean, Chair of the Canadian Health Coalition, and Manuel Arango, Vice President at the Heart and Stroke Foundation, urged Senators to pass Bill C-64, the Pharmacare Act, without amendments or further delays.

“Canadians could be accessing free birth control and diabetes medication this summer if the Senate were to pass Bill C-64 now. People have waited long enough to access free birth control and free diabetes medication and devices. Our message to the Senate is clear: pass this bill now and let’s get these medications to people who need them immediately,” stated Bruske

As the countdown to the next election begins, workers stand united with a clear message to all political parties: if you want our votes, you must respect our rights and deliver real help to workers and families. We demand concrete actions, not empty promises.

Last April, Canada’s labour leaders from across the nation issued a stern warning to politicians from all parties that workers demand more than just supportive rhetoric.

“Workers will hold politicians accountable if they fail to support concrete measures to protect workers’ rights and continue allowing employers to have the upper hand,” warned Bruske. “All parties must commit to concrete actions that dismantle barriers to joining or forming a union and crack down on any company that unfairly obstructs workers from organizing.”

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OTTAWA- Pharmacare is about ensuring that families across Canada have access to better health care by covering prescription medications. It fills a critical gap in our healthcare system but, the Senate’s delay in passing Bill C-64 is jeopardizing this critical legislation.

“Millions of Canadians have waited long enough to benefit from free diabetes medication and birth control,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “The Senate needs to pass the bill without amendments before they break for the summer.”

Canada’s current drug insurance system is a fragmented patchwork of 100 public and over 100,000 private plans, causing major disparities in accessibility, affordability, and coverage. This inconsistency leaves millions of Canadians struggling to afford their prescriptions.

Each province and territory operates its own distinct prescription drug plans, creating a complex system further exacerbated by the disparities among private insurers. As a result, 7.5 million Canadians lack insurance coverage and bear the cost of their medications out-of-pocket.

“Pharmacare is the most significant enhancement to our healthcare system since the introduction of public healthcare in Canada. The urgency for this cannot be overstated. Nearly one million Canadians have had to sacrifice basic necessities like food and heating to afford medications, and another million have resorted to borrowing money,” added Bruske.

“For too long, many among us have struggled to afford their life-saving prescription drugs, making risky tradeoffs between following doctor’s orders and paying the rent,” says Manuel Arango, Heart & Stroke’s Vice President of Policy and Advocacy. “This bill is a historic first step toward equal access to prescription drugs for all people in Canada. We urge the government to seize this moment and pass the Pharmacare Act before the end of June.”

‘’Over 50 civil society organizations under the CHC umbrella endorse and support Bill C-64, the Pharmacare Act, a cause we’ve advocated for decades. Representing various sectors including healthcare, seniors, migrant rights, sexual health, and women’s rights, we urge the Senate to swiftly pass Bill C-64. It’s vital for millions to access free birth control and diabetes medication.” Jason Maclean, Chair, Canadian Health Coalition

Implementing pharmacare will save money for Canadians. With a national pharmacare program, bulk purchasing and streamlined administration can reduce overall drug costs, putting money back into the pockets of families. Pharmacare will also alleviate the strain on our healthcare system.

The swift passage of Bill C-64, An Act respecting Pharmacare, is necessary for millions of Canadians to access free birth control and diabetes medication, providing much-needed relief from the high cost of living.

Canada’s unions are calling on all Senators to stop withholding Bill C-64, a crucial piece of legislation that will put money back in people’s pockets, and allow easier access to diabetes medications as well as allow women greater freedom over their sexual and reproductive health.

Our message to Senators is clear: Pass Bill C-64 without further delays.

The post Canada’s unions: workers have waited long enough to pass Bill C-64, An Act Respecting Pharmacare appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“This was made possible because of labour activists and allies who have tirelessly championed pharmacare for decades,” said Siobhan Vipond, Executive Vice President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “This legislation will save money for both workers and employers, reducing the financial burden caused by a fragmented insurance system. It’s a step towards better healthcare, reducing the strain on our healthcare system by preventing costly hospital and doctors’ visits,” Vipond added.

Each year, one million Canadians have had to choose between basic necessities and their medications. For instance, medication for type 2 diabetes can cost up to $10,000 per year, and oral contraceptives cost $240 annually.

Bill C-64, An Act Respecting Pharmacare, establishes a framework for a universal single-payer pharmacare plan. This achievement, a result of the NDP’s influence in a minority parliament and collaboration with Health Minister Mark Holland, is the most substantial enhancement to Canadian healthcare since the introduction of public healthcare.

For the moment, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre remains noncommittal about whether a CPC government would dismantle programs like dental care, and pharmacare.

“The Conservatives have consistently opposed investments in childcare, public healthcare, and pharmacare, often aligning with the interests of Bay Street CEOs and corporate lobbyists. And they will continue to side with Big Pharma over the needs of Canadian families,” added Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Pharmacare will deliver better healthcare to millions of Canadians, provide financial relief, and empower them with greater control over their sexual and reproductive health,” she affirmed.

For pharmacare to succeed, provincial support is crucial. The current hybrid pharmacare program in Quebec, which combines public and private coverage, often leaves drug costs unaffordable for many individuals. This patchwork approach benefits insurance companies and Big Pharma by maintaining high profit margins. A comprehensive pharmacare plan that prioritizes people’s needs over profits is the way to go.

We consistently hear from workers across the country about the critical importance of pharmacare for them and their families. The message is unequivocal: Healthcare decisions should be made between you and your doctor, not dictated by your financial situation.

Canada’s unions are calling on the Senate to swiftly pass Bill C-64 which will improve healthcare for millions of people, ease the financial burden for families, and ensure Canadians have control over their sexual and reproductive health.

The post One step closer to universal pharmacare for Canadians appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

We are very encouraged by the news that the Liberals and New Democrats have reached a deal on pharmacare. This achievement represents the most significant enhancement to our healthcare system since the creation of public healthcare in Canada. It’s a milestone that will profoundly impact the lives of Canadians by making healthcare more accessible and affordable.

The urgency of this victory cannot be overstated. With nearly one million Canadians forced to sacrifice basic necessities like food and heating to afford medications, and another million resorting to borrowing money, the need for change was clear and immediate.

I have personally heard from workers unable to afford their diabetes medications, and parents faced with the heart-wrenching choice between feeding their children or providing them with essential life-saving medicines. These are the struggles many Canadians face daily – not the fake outrage that Mr. Poilievre is talking about these days. The introduction of a universal single-payer pharmacare program is not just a policy change; it’s a lifeline that will bring tangible improvements to the lives of countless individuals.

This program is also a significant financial relief for ordinary Canadians. Consider the costs of essential medications like Type 2 diabetes medications and supplies, which can reach $10,000 annually per person, or the annual expense of oral contraceptives for women at around $240. This pharmacare program is a step towards making life more affordable for all.

Furthermore, this initiative will lead to significant savings. Instead of a patchwork of medication insurance, workers can have the security of a universal and single-payer program. This means that workers and employers can redirect these savings towards better wages, stronger paychecks, or enhanced retirement savings.

This achievement is a testament to the power of collective effort and advocacy. It’s a big deal, made possible by the leverage exercised by the NDP in this parliament. Canadian workers have fought tirelessly for this program for decades, and it is through the NDP’s commitment to prioritizing the needs of real people in this minority parliament that we have reached this groundbreaking moment.

Today, we celebrate this monumental victory, a testament to what we can achieve when we stand united for the health and well-being of all Canadians.”

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Canadians are witnessing Conservative decision-makers wreak havoc. Rather than addressing the pressing crises of health care, affordability, and climate change, Conservatives across the country are indulging in political games. And who loses? Working-class families.

A year after a landmark health care agreement between the federal government and provinces and territories, Conservative premiers have failed to act and failed to care. Canada’s unions are hearing from health care workers who are under pressure to work harder and faster, facing dangerously high patient-to-care worker ratios.

These workers deserve support and action to strengthen our public health care system and better retain and recruit health care staff—but Conservatives won’t be the ones to deliver. Conservative premiers are actively pursuing the privatization of our public health care system, and Pierre Poilievre was a cabinet minister in a Conservative government that drastically cut health care.

Meanwhile, hard-earned paycheques are being swallowed by the sky-high price of groceries and other necessities. Workers need a helping hand so they can build a good life but instead, we get cuts for everyday people and a gravy train for corporate giants—such as the Ford government’s handouts to big business while slashing public services. Danielle Smith wants to throw hard-working people under the bus by dismantling the Canada Pension Plan, while Mr. Poilievre opposes a universal public pharmacare plan that would put more money in workers’ wallets.

At the same time, Canadians are grappling with the very real impacts of the climate crisis, but Conservative leaders don’t have a serious plan for working people and our communities. How much did Danielle Smith’s seven-month moratorium on renewable energy set back Albertan workers? And Poilievre’s Conservatives are trying to block pro-worker legislation, jeopardizing jobs and opportunities in a sustainable economy.

With so many real and urgent issues on the agenda, Canada’s unions oppose Conservative efforts to stoke a culture war by attacking trans kids and adults rather than offer real solutions, as we’ve seen Blaine Higgs, Scott Moe, and now Danielle Smith do. The playbook is familiar: shirk responsibility for making life harder for working people, stoke fear about a scapegoat, and then ride the fear train for power and personal gain.

Make no mistake, Conservatives stand against workers. Canada’s unions will defend working people and their families against Conservative games at all costs. We will fight for sustainable jobs, we will fight to make life more affordable, we will fight for our public health care system—and we will fiercely oppose attacks on vulnerable Canadians.

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“We applaud the deployment of the second phase of the dental care plan. As part of the supply-and-confidence deal with the NDP, the $13-billion public program is another step forward to a universal public dental care program in Canada,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Public programs like dental care help to alleviate some of the pressures facing working-class families as they struggle to find an affordable place to live, put food on the table or simply afford everyday necessities.”

As of November 2023, close to 400,000 children under 12 years of age have received dental treatment as a result of the federal dental care program. And now, access to dental care will be expanded to millions of Canadians, some of whom are among the most vulnerable in our communities.

With over one in three Canadians reporting a lack of dental insurance and even more indicating they have no access to any form of dental care, this is an important step towards a public care system that will improve Canadians’ health and wellbeing and make life more affordable, building resiliency across our society and economy.

“In this new phase of the program, the government must ensure that all qualifying Canadians have access to the dental care they need, when they need it. The dental care plan must be equitable and accessible,” added Bruske. “We know that a disproportionate number of persons with disabilities and seniors in Canada live in poverty; we must ensure the dental care program is inclusive and available.”

Canada’s unions will also be looking at the federal government to be vigilant and ensure employers do not download the costs of dental care from private health plan benefits packages onto the public dental care program.

“While we celebrate this announcement today, there are still too many families that have to make impossible choices every time they have to renew their prescription medications. Our future depends on investment in care now and that includes access to the medicines that people need,” said Bruske. “That’s why we will continue to pressure the federal government to establish a single-payer universal public prescription drug plan that provides coverage for all residents.”

The Canadian Labour Congress is the largest labour organization in Canada, bringing together dozens of national and international unions, provincial and territorial federations of labour and community-based labour councils to represent more than 3 million workers across the country.

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OTTAWA––Workers from across Canada took to Parliament Hill this week to urge the government to create a public, universal pharmacare system.

“This government had a chance to show that they are serious about pharmacare, but we saw no mention of it in the recent fall economic statement,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “This government has been talking about implementing pharmacare for years. Canadians have waited long enough, it’s time for this government to walk the talk.”

Pharmacare is a cornerstone of the Liberal-NDP supply and confidence agreement, with the two parties agreeing to introduce legislation by the end of 2023.

“The Liberals are running out of time to make pharmacare a reality,” said Bruske. “Hundreds of workers are in Ottawa this week to make it clear they expect the government to stand by its promise and make a universal public prescription drug plan happen and provide coverage for all.”

In addition to pharmacare, Canada’s workers are ramping up pressure on parliamentarians to pass Bill C-58 to ban scab labour and Bill C-50, the Sustainable Jobs Act rapidly.

Bill C-58 is currently being debated in the House and Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Caucus have yet to state a clear and coherent stance on it. Despite the bill receiving support from the NDP and the Bloc Québecois, Poilievre continues to claim he needs more information before making a decision.

“Workers want to know: Do the Conservatives support the bill – support workers – or not?” said Bruske. “Poilievre is loud on rhetoric and good with soundbites, but completely silent on his real agenda – workers see through his nonsense.”

“In not clearly stating his support of Bill C-58, Pierre Poilievre has once again shown his true colours. He can talk all he wants about being for workers, but he has a chance right now to show that he’s with them and instead of doing that he is stalling the process – just like with Bill C-50,” said Bruske. “Poilievre has a long track record of attacking workers’ rights and siding with profitable corporations over everyday people, which makes clear the kind of leader he is. We remember when he introduced anti-labour laws and helped rich corporations pay even less in taxes and voted to cut support for unemployed workers. We know that he will vote against workers’ interests, every time.”

Canada’s unions also call on the government to take immediate action to move Bill C-50 forward and for the Conservatives to end their obstruction of the act.

“It’s time to move forward. Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives have wasted enough time. Workers see through the Conservatives’ nonsense,’’ said Bruske. “Workers and their families are struggling to make ends meet and worry that they’ll be out of work as we transition our economy. I urge the Liberal government to introduce legislation to enact universal pharmacare and to move forward with bills C-50 and C-58.”

The Canadian Labour Congress is the largest labour organization in Canada, bringing together dozens of national and international unions, provincial and territorial federations of labour and community-based labour councils to represent more than 3 million workers across the country.

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The post Workers mobilize on the Hill to urge MPs to act as families continue to struggle appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

We all need care at some point in our lives. Our jobs, our families and our economy depend on having our care needs met. In Canada, nearly 1 in 5 workers are employed in paid care work occupations, which is an estimated 3 million people.

“For too long, political leaders and Canadian society have taken both paid and unpaid care work for granted. As a result, much of this work—largely performed by

women—remains precarious and undervalued, while those who perform it are perennially at risk of violence and harassment,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Care workers in this country deserve better. It’s time that we take care of our care workers.” 

Care work includes health care and mental health; early childhood education and child care; care for the elderly and people with disabilities; domestic work; and other vital social and health care services that support our families and communities. Many of these workers are Black, racialized, immigrant and migrant women and women with disabilities. 

The quality, availability and accessibility of care work and care services are central to the struggle for decent work. Without a vision and movement for inclusive, equitable, and high-quality care, the growing demand for caring labour threatens to reinforce the gender, race and class inequities that shape both care provision and access to care. 

“The gendered impacts of the care crisis are real, with deep impacts on the women who work in care. These women are working in precarious jobs, for low wages and in poor working conditions. This is a longstanding, unfair and unsustainable situation,” said Siobhán Vipond, Executive Vice-President of the CLC. “Between the health impacts associated with ongoing climate events and an aging population in Canada, things are likely to worsen if this isn’t addressed now.”

Canada needs a forward-thinking, integrated care strategy, guided by the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) framework. The ILO framework recommends approaches and policy measures that:  

• Recognize that care is essential and that access to care is a human right; 
• Reduce the unfair and unequal burden of unpaid care responsibilities borne by women and families and redistribute the responsibility for providing care more equitably by ensuring that quality, public care services are available for everyone; 
• Reward care work appropriately by improving wages and working conditions for workers in all care sectors; and  
• Ensure care workers’ representation in the decisions that impact them, including by promoting the right to organize and bargain collectively.  

“We must continue to build on and amplify initiatives to address the pressing workforce, access, and affordability issues in specific sectors, including health care and child care,” said Bruske. “Canada needs a comprehensive and integrated approach to support care workers and strengthen Canada’s care economy across all sectors. Canada’s unions are committed to supporting our valuable care workers across the country.” 

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“Canada’s unions are looking to MPs from all parties to come together behind swift action to make sure help is there for people facing high prices, stretched budgets and a weakening economy,” urged Bruske. “Parliament must also act urgently on the dual challenges of addressing climate change while creating sustainable jobs.”

Bruske said Canada’s unions expect MPs to make it a top priority to strengthen the Sustainable Jobs Act, C-50, and get the bill passed before the winter break.

“The Americans’ Inflation Reduction Act has challenged the world to act, and many countries are responding. The Sustainable Jobs Act provides a roadmap for Canada’s governments, businesses, and unions to work together and make sure our workers aren’t left behind in the global transition to a low-carbon economy,” warned Bruske. “Climate change is real and getting worse. MPs must make it job one this fall to take smart action that creates the kind of good, sustainable, union jobs that are the cornerstone to building thriving communities.”

Bruske said that Parliament must also act to make things a bit easier for those struggling the most through urgent action to create more affordable homes, make sure EI is there for people when they need it, and pass a new pharmacare act so Canada can implement public, universal pharmacare.

“Building affordable homes and implementing publicly funded and publicly delivered pharmacare are tangible ways we can make sure no one is left with the impossible choice of choosing whether to pay for rent, groceries, or their kid’s medicine. MPs must deliver on pharmacare this fall,” declared Bruske. “3 in 5 unemployed people don’t even qualify for benefits. With unemployment rising and more people being thrown out of work, it’s critical we finally reform EI so help is there for workers when they need it.”

Bruske added that it is also critical the government introduces, and MPs pass, anti-scab legislation this fall.

“We have seen years of record corporate profits while workers’ pay lagged far behind. Workers are rightly demanding more balanced workplaces,” said Bruske. “If we ban the use of scabs once and for all, we can take a real step towards greater labour peace, avoiding work stoppages and building a more balanced economy.” 

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The post As Parliament returns, people feel the pain from high prices, a slowing economy appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

OTTAWA- As the cabinet retreat adjourns and all parties prepare for the return of Parliament next Monday, Canada’s unions are urging cooperation and collaboration focused on helping struggling families.

December’s CPI numbers showed that inflation is moderating in Canada, but workers continue to see their wages lagging. According to the Bank of Canada’s most recent survey, Canadians are cutting down on their spending by fear of higher interest rates and the specter of a looming recession.

“I hope that Governor Macklem and the Bank of Canada are seriously considering pausing rate hikes this year,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Let’s hope they are just as quick to start reducing rates as they were hiking them. If we are thrown into a recession, that would initiate massive job losses and downward pressure on wages.”

Across the country, the effects of the Bank of Canada’s interest rate hikes are apparent. Big banks are expecting tens of thousands of people to default on their mortgages, and food banks are reporting a massive increase in usage. Meanwhile, before noon on January 3, Canada’s top CEOs had already pocketed the average workers’ annual salary.

“Parliament will resume next week and we’re at a crossroads. The rising costs of food, housing, and prescription medication are affecting everyone, meaning more and more people must make difficult choices – buying food to put on the table or buying the medication their kid needs. No one should have to make that impossible decision,” added Bruske.

“We are seeing public health care failing across the country – we have ERs shutting down, children’s hospitals are swamped, wait times for critical surgeries just keep getting longer and the worst recently happened when people died while waiting for care in an emergency room. At the heart of the crisis facing our health care system right now is the critical shortage of workers – the government needs to address this, and fast,” said Bruske.

To tackle the never-before-seen staff shortage, the government must invest in health care workers with better pay, benefits, pension plan and working conditions. Canada’s unions are asking the government to invest in addressing the underutilization of internationally educated health care workers with meaningful and faster licensure and certification.

Canada’s unions will be urging the government to increase investments in health care and to strongly oppose the privatization of our care systems. The Prime Minister needs to call a First Ministers’ meeting and work with provinces and territories to put in place programs like pharmacare and dental care for all to help alleviate some of the costs families are facing, ultimately helping reduce the impacts of inflation.

Canada’s unions will be pushing the government to fix the shattered Employment Insurance (EI) system. This must start with restoring temporary EI measures until permanent improvements can take effect.

Canada’s unions will also be calling on Parliament to pass anti-scab legislation, quickly. Workers don’t just need anti-scab legislation, they need strong anti-scab legislation. The government has an excellent model for this legislation in NDP MP Boulerice’s private member’s Bill C-302 and we are urging all parties to work together to pass this Bill.

Senators must also act swiftly to pass Bill C-228. This Bill will safeguard the hard-earned pensions of millions of workers and pensioners. It will also ensure that super-priority is given to pensioners and pension plan members in the event of an employer becoming insolvent, meaning they will have to pay pensions before addressing other financial liabilities.

Senators have a historic opportunity to restore fairness for workers and pensioners and ensure the injustice faced by Sears, Nortel, and Stelco workers is never allowed to happen again.

“Parliamentarians working together, across party lines, is key to progress. Cooperation between the New Democrats and the Liberal government resulted in significant gains – and Canada’s unions will continue to push for more cooperation to tackle the pressing challenges ahead of us,” said Bruske.

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The post Politicians must collaborate to find solutions for Canada’s struggling workers appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

OTTAWA –– The highest inflation in over three decades plus the largest interest rate rise in over twenty years adds up to families falling further behind. Figures released last week revealed that inflation now stands at 6.7 percent, and rising, while average wages lag far behind at 3 to 3.5 percent.

“With every paycheque, every bill, every trip to the grocery store or pharmacy, workers and their families fall further behind. The situation simply isn’t sustainable. Canadians are looking for action to help,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “MPs can provide urgent relief for families through investments in affordable housing, accelerated action to bring down child care costs and swiftly bring down the cost of needed medicines through implementing pharmacare.”

Bruske added that it was disappointing to see the government reverse course last week on changes to patented drug regulations, leaving Canadian families to pay as much as $13.2 billion more for their medicines over the next decade.

“It was discouraging to see the government fail to stand up to the large pharmaceutical companies. This just adds to the urgency for MPs to move forward on pharmacare,” said Bruske. “We know giant pharmaceuticals and Bay St. CEOs will continue to push the government to put profits before people. It is critical for MPs to stand up to corporate Canada and take concrete action to help families.”

Bruske said that additional measures Parliament can move forward on in the weeks to come include action to improve labour standards to better protect workers in the gig economy; stopping companies from contract flipping to push down wages; and restoring balance in labour relations by making changes to support collective bargaining and bringing in anti-scab legislation.

“We know you can’t count on the markets or Bay St. to strengthen health care, bring fairness to labour negotiations or make life more affordable,” concluded Bruske. “Real progress for workers and their families only comes when MPs have the courage to stand up to corporate Canada and work together to put people first.”

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The post Helping families facing affordability squeeze must be MPs’ job one appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“We are calling on the government: don’t break your promise to Canadians. We can’t count on big pharmaceutical corporations to stand up for Canadians, that’s the job of our governments,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.

The Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare made clear that strengthening the Patented Medicines Regulations is absolutely essential to lowering drug prices and moving towards national pharmacare.

“Too many medicines are unaffordable and the new PMPRB framework could have saved Canadians approximately $13.2 billion over 10 years. This is a step backwards for affordable drugs,” said Bruske. “The failure of Budget 2022 to make substantial progress on pharmacare and today’s capitulation to big pharma, means workers and their families have reason to be concerned about the government’s commitment to making medicine affordable and accessible.”

Canada’s unions will be pushing the government to move forward with urgent investments to begin implementing a national pharmacare program, starting with a national essential medicines formulary and expanding to a full national, universal, single-payer pharmacare system.

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I think almost everyone can agree 2021 was a rough year. The pandemic we hoped was ending now rolls on with new variants and new disruptions.

But in 2021 we also saw some hopeful signs of what’s possible when people work together in common cause. Workers with newfound confidence demanding better. People seeking out jobs that offered regular schedules, better wages, and less precarity. Increased unionization rates in the middle of a pandemic.

That’s the energy Canada’s unions are bringing into 2022. So as everyone gets going on their New Year’s resolutions, we’ve got a few of our own. And we intend to keep them.

This is our time to build and our time to demand better. By lunchtime on January 4, Canada’s highest paid CEOs had already made the same pay that an average worker will take home for the year. Which is why Canada’s unions have resolved that 2022 is the year that the country’s top earners will pay their fair share.

Enough of these $10 million pay days for high-ranking executives. Enough of tax loopholes and bailout programs that support millionaires and billionaires. Frontline workers have been the ones to keep us all afloat through the last 22 months. It’s unconscionable that they’ve struggled to make ends meet while Canada’s top earners had one of their most profitable years ever in 2020.

In 2022 we must also resolve to permanently fix Employment Insurance and stop letting so many workers and their families fall through the cracks in hard times. As Omicron is teaching us, we can’t keep lurching from wave to wave; we must instead get ready for the next crisis. Supports for people thrown out of work were inadequate before the pandemic and the federal government’s new Lockdown Benefit is falling far short of the mark.

Our public health care has struggled under the strain of the pandemic and chronic staffing shortages. Health care workers are overextended and underpaid, and burnout rates among health care workers are at an all-time high. We must resolve to strengthen public health care, starting with investments in more nurses and health professionals. And we can save lives and improve living conditions by taking profits out of long-term care.

With so many drowning under the rising costs of essentials, we must resolve to make life more affordable in 2022. We can save families thousands through investments in affordable housing, making child care available and accessible to every parent, and actually implementing pharmacare.

Positive change is within our grasp – if we in the labour movement can work together with governments, civil society, and business. But we must learn the right lessons from the past 22 months of pandemic and make the right investments – so our communities are ready when the next crisis hits.

2021 showed us the road may be hard at times. We must resolve, together, to respond with resilience, determination, and real ambition to do better in 2022.

Bea Bruske is the president of the Canadian Labour Congress. Follow her on Twitter @PresidentCLC

The post Resilience, Determination and Ambition in 2022 appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

With low-income seniors and unemployed workers being left behind, Canada’s unions are demanding the upcoming Economic and Fiscal Update be more than an accounting exercise but instead include a course correction on key issues.

“The most vital thing about a country’s balance sheet is the vision and values of the elected officials who control it,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “The Economic and Fiscal Update is a critical opportunity for the government to end the CERB clawbacks affecting low-income seniors and act swiftly to get help to people who were cut off when emergency benefits were cancelled.”

Bruske said that Canada’s unions are hearing every day from workers about how the crisis is not over for them, their family or their community. They are asking the government to use the Fiscal Update to show that it is serious about investing in making life more affordable and pushing back against the right-wing austerity agenda of spending cuts and a return to low-wage policies.

“We keep hearing right-wing thinkers argue for a return to austerity and 1990’s style fiscal policies. But we know a low wage agenda won’t solve the affordability crisis facing workers and their families,” said Bruske. “Instead, government must invest in repairing our social safety net and nurturing the recovering economy. This includes action on fair taxation so those at the top, who have made obscene profits during the pandemic, are finally made to pay their fair share.”

Bruske added that it is vital that we learn lessons from the pandemic and build back our communities, so they are more equitable than before the pandemic, not less.

“The fiscal update must make clear that the federal government is prepared to make investments to make life more affordable and ensure vital services, like EI, are there for people when they need it,” concluded Bruske. “This includes investments in making child care, housing and pharmacare more affordable.”

To arrange an interview, please contact:

CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post Canada’s unions: Use fiscal update to reverse seniors’ clawbacks and emergency help for workers appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

OTTAWA – Canada’s unions, civil society groups, business and academics wrote to the prime minister today urging the government to use the upcoming Economic and Fiscal Update to take the next step forwards on implementing universal public pharmacare.

The letter, from Canadian Labour Congress President Bea Bruske and other concerned groups, outlined how the government is falling behind the recommendations of their own Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare.

“We should be poised to celebrate the next step towards universal pharmacare, instead we continue to see millions of Canadians unable to afford the medicines they need,” said Bea Bruske. “We have experienced too many missed opportunities and are witnessing too many people being left behind. With family budgets stretched so thin, more and more Canadians are being forced to make impossible choices between buying groceries or paying for their medication.”

Bruske noted that despite the government’s repeated commitment to be guided by the Advisory Council’s recommendations, 2021 is shaping up to be another year where little to no progress has been made towards making medicines accessible to all Canadians.

“Canada is the only country with universal public health care that hasn’t implemented national drug coverage. With bold leadership from the federal government, as we have seen on child care, we can make pharmacare happen in 2022,” concluded Bruske. “The upcoming Economic and Fiscal Update and next spring’s Budget are critical opportunities for the government and Parliament to make concrete progress on implementing universal pharmacare – and finally give all Canadians equal access to the medications they require.”

Bruske added that the Advisory Council had called for the government to invest $3.5 billion for coverage of the most common medicines by January 1, 2022 as the first step in implementing universal public pharmacare. A full universal pharmacare plan would lead to $5 billion a year in savings on prescription drug spending each year.

For a copy of the letter sent to the Prime Minister or to arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

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Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, is available to speak to the media about the upcoming return of Parliament and what a workers-centred recovery looks like.

“The pandemic laid bare existing inequities and the reality is many workers and families are still struggling. Parliament must act quickly to help people now being left behind after the cancellation of emergency help last month,” said Bruske. “Canada’s unions are committed to working with the government and all parties in Parliament on behalf of Canada’s workers and their families.”

“We need concrete action to help take the strain off family budgets with investments in making housing affordable; implementation of pharmacare – to make medicine affordable for everyone; child care deals with every province and territory, so parents now pushed to the economic sidelines have a path back to the labour force; and a permanent fix to our broken EI system, so our social safety net is there for the next crisis, whether health or climate related,” concluded Bruske.

Learn more about how Canada’s unions are helping to shape the recovery at canadianplan.ca.

When: Interviews can be arranged between November 19 and November 22

What: President Bea Bruske available for comment on Canada’s unions’ priorities for return of Parliament

Where: Virtual or in-person, by arrangement

To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post President Bea Bruske available to speak about Canada’s unions’ priorities for new Parliament appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“Conservatives keep pushing the same playbook, time and time again. You can’t solve today’s crisis with policy from the inflation struggles of the 1990’s,” said Bruske. “Rate hikes, austerity policies and government cuts to services families rely on is not going to solve supply chain disruptions or the aftereffects of the pandemic economic slowdown.”

Higher interest rates and lower investment in people won’t help lower energy prices or bring down the costs of groceries, two of the biggest drivers of today’s inflation numbers.

“Conservative economists and right-wing columnists are suffering from magical thinking,” said Bruske. “You can’t keep a steady drumbeat of tightening credit and cutting help for people without slowing an already uneven recovery, generating insolvencies, and above all, raising workers’ level of insecurity.”

Immediate relief for families can be achieved through quick action on affordable housing, child care and pharmacare to bring drug costs down.

“On a day when Loblaws beat expectations and reported even higher profits it baffles me why Canada is still dragging its heels on a wealth tax to make pandemic profiteers pay their fair share,” concluded Bruske. “Now more than ever we need a strong social safety net and investments in the programs so many Canadians depend on, including universal child care, pharmacare, affordable housing and job-training programs to help workers transition to low-carbon and green jobs.”

To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post Conservatives pushing the same playbook on inflation instead of helping families appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Canada’s unions are looking to parliament’s return next week for measures to make life more affordable, including investments to make housing more affordable, immediate implementation of pharmacare to lower the price of medicines, and agreements with every province and territory to bring down the costs of child care.

“The cost of living is skyrocketing and workers and their families are feeling the brunt of it,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “While some companies are making gigantic pandemic profits – yet now talking about passing on higher costs to everyday people – elected officials must stay focussed on helping working people and their families who are the ones suffering the most.”

Many workers face minimum wages that have fallen far behind a living wage. While others are suffering under legislated wage freezes or caps – including in Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba – where low single-digit wage increases combined with inflation surging over 4% translates into lower real wages for workers.

“Governments must immediately raise minimum wages to a living wage and rescind unfair wage freezes and caps. Having what amounts to legislated pay cuts imposed on so many workers is meanspirited,” said Bruske.

“The fact is, we do not know how long this inflation surge will last or how bumpy the road to economic recovery will be. Cleary the answer isn’t slashing taxes for the wealthy, as Conservatives always do. We need our governments acting as leaders in creating good jobs with fair wages, real benefits and better working conditions.”

To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post Government must combat surging cost-of-living with action to raise minimum wage and bring down costs of housing, child care, and medicines appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

OTTAWA – Canada’s unions congratulate Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party on their re-election and offer to work with the government and Parliamentarians from all parties on building a pandemic recovery that addresses the critical challenges facing workers and their families.

“Canadians have spoken, and their message is clear: it’s time for Parliament to get down to work on a progressive recovery,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “This means MPs from all parties must act urgently on strengthening public health care – including implementing pharmacare; permanently improving our EI system so workers aren’t left behind; enacting fair tax reforms so that the richest pay their fair share; and instituting a mixed member proportional representation system.”

Bruske noted that Prime Minister Trudeau has committed to affordable child care, universal pharmacare and electoral reform, all included in Jagmeet Singh and the NDP’s platform commitments.

“Workers in Canada are worried about making ends meet, and they want to get back to work in decent jobs with real benefits and a path to unionization. Investing in key areas of the economy will create better jobs and help Canada thrive,” said Bruske. “We must now all work together on a COVID recovery plan that fixes our social safety net and addresses longstanding inequalities in our communities, so that we’re ready to weather the storm when the next disaster strikes.”

Over the course of the election campaign, Canada’s unions have been vocal about what a strong, worker-centered recovery should look like. This included measures to allow women to re-enter the workforce, including through finishing the implementation of a universal affordable child care system; strengthening health care and implementing universal pharmacare; enacting fair tax reforms; permanently improving EI; and replacing Canada’s broken first-past the post electoral system with mixed member proportional representation.

The post Status quo parliament must not return to the status quo appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Canada may very well be headed for another minority government and Canada’s unions want the new federal government elected on Monday to hit the ground running and deliver on promises made over the course of election campaign.

Elected officials from all stripes must commit to working together to move these priorities forward.

“Workers in Canada were targeted by all parties in this campaign, in a way we’ve never seen before. And now it’s time to deliver. Canada’s unions are eager to work with the next federal government to shape a pandemic recovery that makes life better for all Canadians and doesn’t leave anyone behind,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.

Canada’s unions are urging the incoming government to finish implementing national, affordable public child care; implement universal pharmacare; enact fair tax reforms; permanently improve EI; and replace the existing first-past the post electoral system with mixed member proportional representation.

“Canadians have heard promises of universal pharmacare for many years now, without any real results. A universal, single-payer program would help reduce household expenses and allow everyone to access the medications they need,” said Bruske.

Canada’s unions have also long championed a national affordable child care system. And we’re getting closer: many provinces and territories have signed agreements with the federal government to provide $10 a day child care for children under the age of 6.

Tax fairness is another issue that must be addressed urgently. The top earners in Canada have accumulated even more wealth over the course of the pandemic while average working families are struggling to make ends meet.

“The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the existing inequality in Canada, and for many people, things have only gotten worse,” said Bruske. “We want to see concrete measures to reduce income inequality and help people get back to work in good jobs. And we want the government to commit to fixing our social safety net so that we’re ready the next time disaster hits.”

The pandemic highlighted the need for an adequate and accessible unemployment benefit system and all parties have agreed that Employment Insurance reform is needed. With temporary pandemic benefits set to expire at the end of this month, the incoming government will need to get to work addressing the gaps in the current EI system.

The post Next federal government must deliver for workers appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“Over the past eighteen months, workers and their families have faced unprecedented challenges from a pandemic and fiscal crisis.

“Parents faced the pressure of working from home while dealing with their kids’ schooling. Workers faced the anxiety of being thrown out of work and being forced to turn to lower-paid, precarious jobs in the gig economy just to get by. We all faced the constant worry of trying to keep our loved ones safe and healthy.

“The pandemic also laid bare the inequality in our society. Too many women were forced out of the labour market altogether – pushed to the economic sidelines. Many of these workers are Black, Indigenous, racialized or recent immigrants and migrants. The she-cession isn’t just a catchy phrase, it’s a terrifying reality for so many women today.

“This election comes at a pivotal moment. The recovery provides a unique opportunity to finally address these problems. The choices Canada’s leaders make in the days and weeks to come will resonate for years into the future.

“While today we celebrate the important gains workers and their unions have made, we also commit to making sure the voices of working people are heard loud and clear, during this election and in the months and years that follow.

“Canada’s unions are demanding all parties embrace a recovery plan that includes replacing lost jobs with better ones. A plan for creating good jobs that are permanent, pay a living wage, have benefits and pensions, and are unionized. We know that more good union jobs means less inequality.

“The next crisis is coming, whether health or climate related. We are challenging all parties to work with us to do the hard work now, so Canada is ready when the next crisis comes. This means disaster-proofing Canada’s social safety net; investing in housing and child care, to help make life more affordable for families struggling to make ends meet; and strengthening our public health care through implementing pharmacare and getting profits out of seniors care.

“More than even in this election, political parties are campaigning for the votes of workers. We welcome this attention. But positive rhetoric is not enough if your policies appear to be written by large corporations.

“Canada’s unions will continue to amplify the voices of millions of workers – engaging voters and supporting candidates who put workers at the centre of their recovery plans. And we will be relentless in holding parties to account for policies that leave workers and their families behind.”

-30-

To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-355-1962

The post Bea Bruske: Put working families at the heart of Canada’s recovery appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

A few short weeks ago, I was truly honoured to be elected to serve the working people of Canada as president of the Canadian Labour Congress. My fellow officers and I do not take this responsibility lightly – and it is not a job anyone can do alone. We are counting on you for your support … and your action.

Lily Chang, Siobhán Vipond, Larry Rousseau and I have already hit the ground running because we know that Canadians may very well be headed towards a federal election in the middle of a pandemic – making it one of the most important elections in a generation.

My first experience in the labour movement was as a young worker fighting for fair wages, benefits and protections at a corner grocery store in Winnipeg. My spirits were lifted by the incredible support we received from other workers and community members.

That memory has continued to inspire me to stand up for other people, speak out against injustice, and to always – always – try to make the world a better place.

But that memory also stands out because of how relevant that lesson is today.

When the global pandemic plunged our economy into uncertainty, it was front line workers in every sector who kept our families safe and healthy, and our communities running.

After being celebrated as heroes for the first few months, most of those workers lost their wage premiums, despite their continued dedication and exposure to risk. Meanwhile, many of the corporate CEOs clawing back their benefits continue making record profits.

I am sure that every worker in Canada has a unique story about the impact of the pandemic.

The upcoming federal election will be our opportunity to define Canada’s priorities.

It is our opportunity to fight for decent wages, standards, and equity to ensure no one is left behind, and we know that workers’ rights are human rights.

It is our opportunity to fight for paid sick leave and social programs – like universal pharmacare, affordable childcare, better healthcare and a stronger social safety net – to put an end to precarity and insecurity.

And it is our opportunity to protect the planet for future generations, by demanding bold climate action and a sustainable recovery.

That’s why I am asking you, and every worker in Canada, to sign up to be a part of this fight.

Click here to join our Action Team to help amplify worker issues and priorities in the upcoming federal election. We will call on you to share messages, send letters, and press local candidates and national parties to support worker issues.

I also invite you to follow me on Facebook and Twitter to be a part of my team too.

After all, I know that we are much stronger when we work together.

In Solidarity,

Bea Bruske
President

The post Open Letter to the Working People of Canada appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“This budget will bring some relief to the country’s workers and their families. Women workers have long borne the brunt of the absence of high-quality, universal child care in this country. That’s a reality that has been grossly exacerbated in this pandemic,” said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Crucial investments in affordable, quality, universal child care will help women return to the workforce much more rapidly and help undo the damage wrought this past year on hard-fought gains.”

The government committed nearly $30 billion in early learning and child care funding over five years and promised that Canadians will have access to child care costing an average of $10/day by 2025.

Budget 2021 also promised investments of $2.5 billion in skills and training that includes a commitment to create 500,000 training and work experience opportunities for young and core-age workers over five years, as well as over $8 billion to address climate change through the support of green infrastructure and technology.

The budget also commits several changes to improve labour standards, including addressing the harmful practice of contract flipping in federal regulated workplaces and strengthening Employment Insurance.

Furthermore, the federal government has extended emergency benefits to support workers currently struggling due to the ongoing pandemic and whose jobs are impacted by current lockdowns.

However, Canada’s unions say the government missed an opportunity to implement a universal, single-payer pharmacare program in Canada. According to the federal government’s own Advisory Council on Pharmacare, a universal plan would reduce drug prices, save billions for families and businesses, and provide vital medicines to millions of Canadians who cannot afford to fill their prescriptions.

“We are disappointed that the government didn’t seize the opportunity to invest in prescription drug coverage for all Canadians,” said Yussuff. “Canadians were struggling to pay for prescriptions before this pandemic. Many have now lost their jobs and their workplace drug coverage. People in Canada can’t wait any longer for universal prescription drug coverage.”

The post Budget 2021: Canada’s unions welcome ‘crucial’ funding for child care, skills training and $15 federal minimum wage appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Among the top priorities for Canada’s unions are:

• fully containing the public health crisis and implementing national pharmacare;
• investing in the care economy; and
• and getting Canadians back to work and fully-employed in safe, decently-paid, productive and sustainable jobs.

The post Budget 2021: Canada’s unions call for strong measures to help pandemic recovery appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Heart & Stroke, CLC and CFNU are working together for the first time around a shared commitment to ensuring everyone in Canada can get the medication they need through a national, universal, public single-payer pharmacare program.

“Canada is the only country in the world with universal health care that does not provide universal pharmacare, leaving 7.5 million Canadians with insufficient or no drug coverage,” says Doug Roth, CEO, Heart & Stroke. “We know that some groups are more affected than others – including racialized Canadians and women. Many people are forced to make difficult decisions by cutting spending on food and heat to pay for the prescriptions their families need for their health.”

Through the online campaign at heartandstroke.ca/pharmacare, Canadians can send a letter to the federal government urging it to take immediate action on its commitment to implementing national, universal pharmacare. This includes allocating sufficient funding in the coming 2021 Federal Budget and implementing an initial common formulary of essential medicines by July 1, 2021.

“COVID-19 has resulted in more people losing their jobs and consequently losing their benefits. In fact Canadians are twice as likely to have lost prescription drug coverage as to have gained it over the past year,” says Hassan Yussuff, President, Canadian Labour Congress. “Now more than ever, Canada needs universal single-payer pharmacare.”

“Support for pharmacare is strong. Over 90% of Canadians feel it is important for everyone to have equal access to prescription drugs, the federal government’s own expert advisory council recommended a universal, public, single-payer program, and the government has committed to it. We need action now,” says Linda Silas, President, Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions.

To take action and tell the federal government Canada deserves #PharmacareNow go to heartandstroke.ca/pharmacare

Stats

• One in four Canadian households have difficulty filling needed prescriptions.
• Three million Canadians do not fill their prescriptions because they cannot afford to.
• One million Canadians cut spending on food and heat to afford their medication.
• Canadians are twice as likely to have lost prescription drug coverage as to have gained it over the past year.
• In 2019, Canadian pharmacies dispensed roughly 101 million prescriptions for medications to treat cardiovascular disease representing more than any other category of prescription drugs.
• Prescription drug costs are the second largest category of health spending following hospitals.
• 16% of Canadians have gone without medication for heart disease, cholesterol and hypertension due to cost.
• The prohibitive cost of prescription drugs contributes to the premature death of about 1000 working-age Canadians each year from ischemic heart disease and diabetes alone.
• Universal pharmacare would reduce total spending on prescription drugs in Canada by 5$ billion annually.
• Canada’s patchwork of more than 100 public and 100,000 private drug plans is one of the most expensive in the world.

About Heart & Stroke

Life. We don’t want you to miss it. That’s why we need to beat inequity and Heart & Stroke leads the fight against heart disease and stroke. We must generate the next medical breakthroughs, so Canadians don’t miss out on precious moments. Together, we are working to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery through research, health promotion and public policy.

About Canadian Labour Congress

The Canadian Labour Congress is the largest labour organization in Canada, bringing together dozens of national and international unions, provincial and territorial federations of labour and community-based labour councils to represent more than three million workers across the country.

About Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
The CFNU is Canada’s largest nurses’ organization, representing about 200,000 nurses and student nurses, and advocating on key health priorities and federal engagement in public health care.

Contact Information

Heart & Stroke
Stephanie Lawrence
613-290-4236
Stephanie.Lawrence@heartandstroke.ca

Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
Lauren Snowball
613-868-5702
media@nursesunions.ca

Canadian Labour Congress
Amy Boughner
613-526-7426
aboughner@clcctc.ca

The post Health and labour groups aligned in push for universal access to prescription drugs appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s unions have collaborated with disability rights coalitions like the Include Me Campaign, to highlight the unique challenges and barriers faced by persons with disabilities during this health crisis.

“We know that the current health crisis has intensified the discrimination and stigma towards workers with disabilities. Hard-won workplace accommodations are at risk when the office becomes virtual, and workers with disabilities are at a greater risk of being laid off or having their jobs furloughed,” said Larry Rousseau, CLC Executive Vice-President.

“It’s critical that we shine a light on the challenges faced by persons with disabilities during this pandemic, especially those whose experiences are amplified by multiple marginalized identities including women, Indigenous and racialized people, and those in the LGBTQ2SI community.”

Even before the pandemic, unemployment rates ranged between 35 per cent for people with ‘mild’ disabilities to 74 per cent for people with ‘severe’ disabilities. High levels of poverty and unemployment have only worsened for persons with disabilities in the midst of this crisis.

Meanwhile, the reliance on affordable housing, income and health care supports is greater than ever – programs for which funding and availability already vary greatly across the country.

The federal government’s throne speech earlier this fall highlighted many new and important initiatives to help address the disproportionate impacts of this crisis on persons with disabilities. This included a new Disability Inclusion Plan, which would feature:

• A new Canadian Disability Benefit modelled after the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors;
• A robust employment strategy for Canadians with disabilities; and
• A better process to determine eligibility for government disability programs and benefits.

“While we welcome the new disability inclusion strategy, we are also calling for the voices of workers with disabilities and their unions to be at the forefront,” added Rousseau.

“These discussions will guide the design and implementation of this strategy and must ensure that it adequately addresses the barriers to employment and economic security that workers with disabilities face.”

The federal government can help alleviate anxiety by investing in jobs and collaborating with unions on initiatives like a robust employment strategy for persons with disabilities, making long-term care part of public health care, supporting a child care strategy, and implementing national pharmacare.

Learn more about the CLC’s Forward Together campaign at canadianplan.ca.

The post Workers with disabilities must help shape Canada’s Disability Inclusion Strategy appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

World AIDS Day is observed every year on December 1, in support of those living with HIV and to remember those lost to HIV/AIDS. This year’s theme is Global Solidarity and Shared Responsibility.

Workers here in Canada and around the world have long called for meaningful investments in public health care, protections for frontline workers and global access to medicines and vaccines. The global response to the COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS pandemics must aim to eliminate stigma and discrimination and ensure the protection and promotion of human rights.

“No one is safe until everyone is safe,” says CLC President Hassan Yussuff. “People living with or affected by HIV have been made especially vulnerable by the COVID pandemic, and not only in terms of increased health risk but in terms of access to the medications they need.”

The pandemic has drastically impacted the lives and livelihoods of workers around the world, highlighting strong connections between access to health care and social inequality. It has exposed existing racial, gender, social and economic inequalities, hitting the poorest and most vulnerable the hardest.

Between 2014 and 2018, the number of new HIV infections in Canada rose by 25.5%. Globally, in the last year, 38 million people were living with HIV and 25.4 million people were accessing antiretroviral therapy, 1.7 million people became newly infected with HIV and 690,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses.

“Canadian unions are pushing back against austerity and privatization measures to ensure a robust response and recovery that ensures our collective well-being,” said Yussuff. “The current strain on our public health care system threatens access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care. Now more than ever, we need a Canadian plan that’s rooted in our way of doing things – and that means taking care of one another.”

To write to your MP on this issue, click here.

The post Canada’s unions mark World AIDS Day by calling for universal pharmacare appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Participants will be calling on elected representatives to push for federal investments towards job creation, health care and child care, among other necessary programs. Over 200 meetings are scheduled.

“The pandemic continues to disrupt our lives in a myriad of ways. Our governments have an integral role in making sure that workers and their families get through this ongoing crisis,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff. “Workers know they have to advocate for solutions that centre their experiences and which address the systemic gaps this pandemic has revealed. Right now, the only way to do that is virtually and workers are stepping up in a significant way to do what it takes to be heard,” said Yussuff.

Canada’s unions are calling on the federal government to disaster-proof the economy.  This includes committing to shovel-ready projects that create stable, well-paying jobs, as well as investing in job training for workers, particularly those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, including racialized workers, women, and people with disabilities. Unions are urging the government to start by implementing its promised $15 minimum wage in federally regulated workplaces.

The pandemic has also demonstrated the need for a more resilient and comprehensive public health care system. Canada’s unions have long called for the implementation of single-payer, universal pharmacare, particularly urgent now considering that millions of people in Canada have lost access to drug benefits and are struggling to pay for their prescription medications.

“There is no going back to business as usual,” said Yussuff. “On the contrary, we’ve managed to weather this pandemic better than some countries by working together and taking care of one another. MPs will be hearing directly from their own constituents this week on how they can continue to support working people and their families going forward.”

To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post Canada’s unions launch nation’s first-ever virtual lobby week appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Workers around the world want investment in public health and care services including mental health, child care, early childhood education, elderly care and other social care services that serve all our communities. In Canada, unions are also calling for a federal Care Economy Commission.

Decades of austerity-driven fiscal policies and a market-based approach to the delivery of care have created inequities and gaps.

“We have been sounding the alarm about the crisis in care services for years,” said CLC Secretary-Treasurer Marie Clarke Walker. “The added pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded these problems. Our economy is relying more than ever on unpaid labour, and on precarious, low-wage work done by women, a disproportionate number of whom are racialized.”

Canada needs care-focused solutions for the recovery. These solutions must meet the needs of our most vulnerable, create better jobs and disaster-proof our economy and our social safety net against future crises.

The proposed federal Care Economy Commission would study, design and implement a care strategy for Canada that would:

• Create a broad and inclusive labour market strategy to achieve high-quality, equitable care jobs;
• Examine paid and unpaid care work and develop a roadmap to meet the increasing demands for care; and
• Reduce and redistribute women’s unpaid care work by improving access to public care services for children, the elderly and people living with disabilities.

“This pandemic has shone a light on what’s been broken for too long,” said Walker. “We need to rethink our approach to care. Strong public care systems – whether health care, child care, long term care or care services for persons with disabilities – are central to the well-being of individuals, families and communities.”

Canada’s unions are calling for a Canadian plan that’s rooted in our way of doing things – and that means taking care of one another. Public investments in services – not austerity – are a key part of a robust response and recovery that ensures our collective well-being.

The post Canada’s unions join Global Day of Action on Care appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

Forward Together: A Canadian Plan is a new campaign centred on ensuring that Canada is ready to disaster-proof our nation so that no one is left behind when crisis hits. The campaign will roll out digitally on various social media platforms and will encourage Canadians to engage with their elected representatives on key issues.

“There are important lessons to be learned from this pandemic and we have a real opportunity to strengthen our communities and to better protect one another,” said Hassan Yussuff, CLC President. “We have been able to withstand this pandemic by supporting each other, and that is the only way to move forward.”

Learning from the chaos seen in the United States, Canada’s unions will be pushing for a plan that focuses on:

• Replacing lost jobs with better ones
• Strengthening Canadian public health care
• Disaster-proofing our social safety net

“We need the government to reject calls for austerity and make real investments in our future. The only way to fix what’s broken is to invest,” said Yussuff. “Workers are key to the recovery. The federal government can help alleviate a lot of anxiety by investing in jobs, making long-term care part of public health care, supporting a child care strategy, and implementing national pharmacare.”

Canada’s unions are looking for targeted investments in green infrastructure, education and training, and care work.

“A strong economy is inextricably linked with strong social services that support workers and their families through bad times,” said Yussuff. “The United States is showing us what happens when we act like everyone is in it for themselves. We can and must do better.”

Go to www.canadianplan.ca to learn more about the campaign.

To arrange an interview, please contact:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post On Labour Day, the nation’s unions launch a plan to disaster-proof Canada appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

While many us are making sure that we #stayathome, we still need to be aware of the threat of homophobic and transphobic violence that persists online, at home, and for those on the front lines.

“This year, we are taking action online to take a stand, joining people around the world for a #VirtualDayofPink,” said Larry Rousseau, Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Solidarity is a key strength of our union movement. The #VirtualDayofPink is an opportunity for leaders in the trade union movement, in business and government, as well as everyday people, to stand together against homophobia and transphobia everywhere and in all of its forms.”

Canada’s unions have a role to play in educating and empowering our members so that all workplaces are welcoming and inclusive for all. In the context of COVID-19, our federal government needs to step up to ensure that 2SLGBTQI people are not left behind during and after this pandemic.

Around the world, 2SLGBTQI communities face disproportionately high levels of harassment and violence.

According to research from EGALE Canada, “Approximately 47 per cent of LGB workers (in Canada) have experienced workplace harassment and/or violence based on their sexual attraction (orientation), while approximately 90 per cent of transgender and gender variant employees report experiencing workplace harassment and/or violence stemming from their gender identity and expression.”

“Everyone has a role to play to better protect the rights of 2SLGBTQI people and ensure that they have the support they need in our workplaces, in our unions and in our communities,” said Rousseau “Our federal government must lead efforts with a dedicated gender-based plus analysis of the pandemic’s impacts, and by ensuring that additional emergency funds are available to support 2SLGBTQI organizations and communities to survive this crisis.”

You can mark the International Day of Pink right by:

1. Tagging your union and snapping a photo of you in pink to share online with the hashtag #VirtualDayofPink.
2. Downloading the CLC’s newest resource: Workers in Transition and learn how to be a Trans ally in your workplace today.
3. Read, share and support the demands of over 100 2SLGBTQI organizations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learning more about International Day of Pink and how you can join #VirtualDayofPink here.

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Health care workers are working overtime, playing a critical role for their patients across the country and around the world, often without access to adequate personal protective equipment.

“These essential health care workers are making unimaginable sacrifices, losing time with their loved ones, and risking their own health,” said Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff. “At a time when these workers are being asked to go above and beyond – sometimes acting as the only support for patients because of quarantine – we need to make sure they have every piece of equipment they need to reduce their own risk and any risk to their families.”

Canada’s unions stand in solidarity with all health care workers. These jobs are always challenging – with a lack of funding, threat of violence in the workplace, the trauma and stress faced by many, and an ongoing shortage of professionals ­– but more challenging now than perhaps ever before.

“We need to pay tribute to these workers, and demonstrate our thanks by following the best advice of public health officials – washing our hands, not touching our faces, and staying home whenever possible,” said Yussuff. “We owe it to all essential workers to do everything we can to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

At the end of this crisis, when the recovery starts, Canada’s unions will continue to press for adequate funding to ensure health care workers always have what they need to provide Canadians with the best possible care. This includes funding for national, public pharmacare, which would reduce hospital visits from those who can’t afford to take their medications as prescribed.

The post Canada’s unions support nurses, midwives and all health care workers appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“We know that universal, public pharmacare will be less expensive and keep more people healthy and out of the hospital,” said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “For 7.5 million Canadians that are uninsured or underinsured, pharmacare won’t just change their lives, it can save them.”

Canada’s minority governments have a history of advancing public policies that have significantly improved the lives of millions of families. On top of pharmacare, labour activists are also pressing the need for a $15 federal minimum wage, protections for worker pensions and the ratification of ILO Convention 190 on ending violence and harassment at work.

“On C-190, Canada brought this to the ILO and we have an opportunity to show real leadership by becoming one of the first countries to ratify it,” said Yussuff.

The creation of a federal minimum wage for workers in federally regulated workplaces would lift up more than 70,000 workers. These workers have been without a minimum wage since 1996, it is long overdue.

It has also been too long that workers have been told they have to wait for the creditors to be paid before they get the pensions they are owed. The government needs to protect these workers so they can retire with confidence.

“This government has a historic opportunity, and mandate, to build a more progressive Canada,” added Yussuff. “When Canadian workers come together, our collective voice has real weight with decision-makers. Canada must grasp this opportunity to make pharmacare a reality and improve Canadians’ lives.”

The Canadian Labour Congress is the voice of Canada’s labour movement representing over 3 million union members who work in every industry across the country.

To arrange an interview, please contact:

CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post Hundreds of activists bring union priorities to the Hill appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“The Hoskins Report is done, the election promises have been made, the Ministers’ mandate letters are clear and the majority of MPs are with us. Canadians are ready. It’s time for pharmacare,” said Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff. “With a critical mass of support, it’s time for this Liberal government to seize this historic opportunity to implement universal, single-payer national pharmacare.”

The Hoskins Report stated that an initial investment of $3.5 billion will be required in Federal Budget 2020 as the first step toward implementing universal pharmacare. The group of advocates emphasised this investment is needed immediately to kick start this process.

“Right now, 7.5 million Canadians have inadequate drug coverage or none at all. In fact, 16 per cent of people in Canada go without medication for heart disease, high blood pressure or cholesterol because of cost,” added Heart & Stroke CEO Yves Savoie. “We can’t wait any longer.”

Besides Budget 2020, stakeholders identified other milestones to ensure the implementation of this key missing piece of Medicare can be a success. Most importantly, they discussed how to bring pharmacare supporters and Canadians along this historic journey, and where it can lead us into the future.

“The cost savings of a single-payer model has been proven time and again,” added Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Linda Silas. “With government and opposition support, we’re closer than ever to making single-payer pharmacare a reality,”

The group of pharmacare advocates is made up of organizations representing civil society, business, labour and patient interest groups.

For more information:

CLC Media
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post Pharmacare advocates to new Parliament: “The time for pharmacare is now” appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“From increasing health coverage, to tackling climate change, to improving working conditions, this new minority government has set benchmarks for success,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff. “Pharmacare has been an issue the CLC has been heavily advocating for over the last few years. Nobody should have to choose between paying for groceries and paying for medication they need—Canada is ready for universal pharmacare.”

In another move towards fairness, the throne speech announced the government’s intent to establish a federal minimum wage as a standard across Canada. This announcement comes as welcomed news to Canada’s unions and workers across Canada struggling at low-wage jobs.

“Not only will a federal minimum wage benefit tens of thousands of Canadians directly, it will put pressure on the provinces to follow suit,” added Yussuff. “Lifting people out of poverty, an increased minimum wage will have an important impact on the Canadian economy.”

Canada’s unions are also looking to the federal government to lead the way on finding the right balance between protecting jobs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Today’s commitments on climate change begin to transition Canada towards a more sustainable future.

“We need bold targets to fight climate change, we owe that to our children,” said Yussuff. “We also owe the next generation good jobs and commitments to minimize the impact on workers. Today’s commitments move us towards a greener economy.”

Creating protections for workers facing domestic violence has been a focus for the CLC over the past few years, working internationally to end gender-based violence.

“Building a national action plan on ending violence against women will go a long way,” added Yussuff.

Over the coming months, Canada’s unions will work with this minority government to ensure today’s commitments become a reality. The CLC is looking forward to getting to work building universal pharmacare and ensuring this government is building a fairer Canada for everyone.

For more information and to set up an interview, please contact:

media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

The post Now is the time to build a fair Canada for everyone appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

With effective treatment and care, many people living with HIV are leading long and healthy lives. In 1990, a 20-year-old diagnosed with HIV was not expected to live past the age of 40—today, that same person could live to age 70. Between 2000 and 2018, HIV-related deaths fell 45 percent worldwide.

Unfortunately, the cost and accessibility of treatment regimes in Canada varies from province to province. In some provinces, access to HIV medication is covered in all cases, while in others, access depends on how a person was exposed to the virus and whether or not they have private insurance. Coupled with drug prices as high as $1,000/month, the inequity of coverage intensifies.

“Provinces with little to no coverage are forcing Canadians to make tough decisions about medications. These inconsistencies stress the issue that no health care system is truly universal without coverage for medications,” said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Canadians with life-threatening illnesses deserve a universal pharmacare plan that would ensure they can get the medication they need, when they need it, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay. We all deserve that peace of mind.”

As part of World AIDS Day, the World Health Organization is calling for universal health coverage around the world. Canada’s unions want to ensure that coverage includes adding prescription medication to our valued public health care system.

The post Canada’s unions mark World AIDS Day with call for equality of care appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“The new minority government has an opportunity to show Canadians that parties can work together to create a universal pharmacare program that will benefit the whole country”, said Melanie Benard, the National Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Canadian Health Coalition.

Last fall, over 80 organizations endorsed the Pharmacare Consensus Principles, calling for a program that is public, universal, comprehensive, accessible and portable. These principles were reflected in the recommendations of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare that were released in June. The new Pharmacare Now statement calls for a program based on these principles to be adopted within this government’s mandate.

“We are closer than ever to achieving universal, public pharmacare,” said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “The 3.5 million Canadians who can’t afford their medications deserve this program and we will continue to fight so that anyone with a health card has coverage for the medicines they need.”

The majority of Canadians voted for pharmacare in the recent federal election, demonstrating unprecedented support for this new program.

“We know that fair and affordable drug coverage is something that people in Canada want, and something they deserve,” said Dr. Danyaal Raza, Chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare. “This is the unfinished business of Medicare.”

Advocates and experts have been working towards this for decades. “Canada’s nurses are optimistic about the prospects of national pharmacare being implemented by this government,” said Linda Silas, President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. “With broad public and political support for the Advisory Council’s recommendations, the time to get to work building pharmacare is now.”

For more information:

Amy Boughner
National Media Representative
Canadian Labour Congress
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426

Melanie Benard
National Director, Policy and Advocacy
Canadian Health Coalition
policy@healthcoalition.ca
(343) 777-6238

Matt Blair
Communications and Outreach Officer
Canadian Doctors for Medicare
matt@canadiandoctorsformedicare.ca
(416) 457-9031

Ben Rene
Communications Officer
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
brene@nursesunions.ca
(613) 406-5962

The post Over 140 organizations call for Pharmacare Now appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“Gender Equality Week was created to celebrate recent gains while reflecting on the work that needs to be done to improve gender equality and women’s rights across Canada,” said Marie Clarke Walker, Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). “With a federal election underway, we are asking political leaders to take this opportunity to prove their commitment to women’s rights and gender equality.”

Gender Equality Week runs from September 22 to 28, 2019 and was first introduced by the federal government in 2018 through Bill C-309, the Gender Equality Act. This year’s theme is #EveryoneBenefits and is inspired by the vision of a gender equal society and the benefits of advancing gender equality to women, men and people of all gender identities.

“On election day, voters will have the chance to reject the politics of division by voting for a party that stands firmly for gender equality and women’s rights,” said Clarke Walker. “We hope to make that choice much easier by asking candidates to distinguish themselves through concrete platform commitments.” 

The CLC’s plan for “A Fair Canada for Everyone” asks political parties to commit to taking action on five key priorities for working people and their families – actions that can make a real difference for women and help promote gender equality.

Women deserve good jobs, liveable wages and fair working conditions.

Unions are calling for action on pay and employment equity, access to universal, affordable child care and a federal task force on care work and care jobs.

Women deserve opportunities to learn and advance their careers. They deserve adequate support to balance work, family and personal time.

Women should not face barriers in accessing medication.

Many women do not have workplace benefits and face difficult choices when they or a loved one requires medication they cannot afford. Everyone in Canada deserves a universal, single-payer, public prescription drug plan that would guarantee pharmacare for all.

Women deserve retirement security.

Thanks to the persistent gender pay gap, senior women are among Canada’s poorest populations. After a lifetime of hard work (whether paid or unpaid), no one should have to struggle to make ends meet. Action on retirement security means improved Old Age Security benefits and a reformed Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Women must be at the centre of climate action.

The climate crisis will have a disproportionate impact on women and marginalized populations. Smart investments in a clean future will put people at the centre of climate action. Investments in renewable energy, clean technology and green manufacturing can provide a source of good, green jobs for women. Climate action can also include investments in social infrastructure to help create and support good jobs and resilient communities.

Women deserve a government focused on equity and inclusion.

Canadians need a government committed to challenging hate and intolerance in all its forms. They need a government ready to improve our immigration and refugee policies, track and report on hate groups, and commit to strengthening Canada’s action plan against racism.

They also need an action plan to implement the recommendations of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

“The CLC’s election campaign outlines a plan that would promote gender equality and make a real difference in the lives of women and their families,” said Clarke Walker. “Everyone benefits if we unite together to challenge racism, welcome refugees and support real reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. This election we are demanding fairness.”

This Gender Equality Week, unions are calling on voters to attend local election town halls and debates to ask candidates what their party is prepared to do to promote gender equality and a fairer Canada for everyone.

CLC Secretary-Treasurer Marie Clarke Walker will be hosting a Facebook Live event on Wednesday, September 25 at noon EST featuring a conversation about what is at stake for gender equality in the federal election.

Voters can sign up for real-time election updates from the CLC as the campaign progresses.

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You can be forgiven if you’ve avoided thinking about the upcoming federal election all summer, but Labour Day is here. That means it’s time to return to the fall routine and start thinking about how you are going to cast your ballot.

You may have seen politicians working the barbecue circuit, vying for the support of workers and their families. They often claim to know what voters need. Let’s tell them what voters want.

After all, voting for the country we want is both a cherished right, and a significant responsibility.  And it’s under threat.

Lies, misinformation, and propaganda proliferating online are dividing and distracting people like never before.

We know that domestic and foreign actors will likely continue to foment division through contentious topics like immigration and the environment. We must remain united and focused on what truly matters: a present and future that leaves no one behind.

Not only are we facing an uncertain future, but the strides working people have made in the last four years are also in jeopardy. 

Canada’s unions are cutting through the noise with a simple message to voters: Canadians must elect a government that is committed to a fair Canada for everyone.

This is much more than a slogan but a clear call to action on five key areas that will shape the future of this country. Each of them centre on the health and well-being of Canadians.

Canada’s unions have successfully worked with governments and health experts to make universal pharmacare a ballot box issue this fall.

That’s because over 3.5 million Canadians struggle to pay for the medications they need. Private insurers and pharmaceutical companies have a vested interest in preserving a status quo that sees Canadians paying some of the highest drug prices in the world. Canada remains the only developed country with universal health care, without a universal pharmacare plan. A single-payer system would rein in drug prices and save Canadians over four billion dollars per year, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Also key to the well-being of Canadians is the assurance that they will be able to live in dignity in retirement. Following the Conservative party’s defeat in the last federal election, Canada’s unions lobbied for an expansion of public pensions and won a 50% increase to Canada Pension Plan benefits, along with top-up payments for 900,000 low-income single seniors and the restoration of Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement for those over the age of 65, down from 67.

We need a government that is committed to improving public pensions and protecting hard-earned private pensions when employers go bankrupt. 

We also need to talk about the economic health of our nation’s working people. With a rise in precarious, temporary, and low-wage work, more and more people are struggling to get by. We need to vote for a government that clearly defines what it will invest towards creating good jobs for all Canadians.

It’s also time for bold action that tackles our climate emergency while creating economic opportunities in green industries. We deserve a government that is committed to clean air and water, invests in public transportation, and supports workers and communities transitioning to a greener economy.

With hardline Conservative governments now running the majority of the provinces, we cannot forget what a decade of Stephen Harper’s Conservatives did to working people and their families and risk the rollback of hard-won social gains and the rewriting of the Canadian constitution.

Can Canadians afford a government that cares more about private corporations and tax cuts for the super-rich than it does about everyday working people? Can we risk electing a government that refuses to address the climate catastrophe? Can we accept a government that is prepared to exploit people’s fear and insecurity to fuel racism and intolerance?

This Labour Day, let’s recommit to standing together for an inclusive Canada where everyone prospers.

Hassan Yussuff is the President of the Canadian Labour Congress. Follow him on Twitter @Hassan_Yussuff.

The post Working families have a lot at stake this election appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

That means unions will be calling on Canadian workers to vote for candidates who support universal pharmacare, retirement security, climate action, equity and inclusion, and good jobs for everyone.

“Over the last four years, our work has resulted in impressive gains: expanding public pensions, protecting victims of domestic violence, investing billions in infrastructure projects, banning asbestos, and making pay equity the law,” said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).

“While these have been substantial victories, we are only getting started. Low wages, precarious work and underemployment continue to hurt too many Canadians; fear and insecurity are fueling racism and intolerance, and climate change threatens the survival of our planet.”

“We will do our part to mobilize Canadians to choose candidates who will make Canada more fair for workers and their families,” said Yussuff.

“We will be urging every candidate to commit to creating good jobs. We will be pushing the political parties for climate action for a sustainable planet. We will be challenging hate and divisiveness with equity and inclusion.”

By launching a national campaign, “A Fair Canada for Everyone”, the CLC will be working with labour councils, federations of labour and unions across the country to advance the issues at stake for workers and their families.

“Labour Day is a national reminder that workers can come together to improve workplaces and communities, so it is a fitting time to launch our election campaign for a fair Canada for everyone,” adds Yussuff.

To read details about what unions are calling for in this election, visit faircanadaforeveryone.ca

The post Labour Day 2019: Unions seek to put fairness on the ballot appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“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 compares prices with the US and Switzerland—two countries with some of the world’s highest drug prices—when setting its maximum prices for patented drugs. These new regulations no longer require consideration of US and Swiss pricing, instead allowing the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) to set maximum prices for patented drugs based on other countries with economies and health-care systems similar to Canada.

The updated framework also provides better reporting on drug prices including list prices and discounts offered to third parties like insurance companies. The PMPRB will also have the authority to determine whether drug prices correspond to value to patients and to the healthcare system.

The existing framework used by the PMPRB has not adequately protected Canadians from excessively high prices for patented medicines over the last 30 years. Since 1987, prescription drug costs in Canada have increased at an average annual rate of 7.3%, or over 3 times the inflation rate.

“Canadians have been paying some of the highest prices for patented medicines in the world because the old regulations allowed big pharmaceutical companies to set their prices based on market evaluations, and not on what individuals could actually afford,” said Yussuff.

“Big pharmaceutical companies have continued to renege on their promises to invest 10% of sales in research and development each year, and to introduce new drugs that had substantial or breakthrough therapeutic benefit to Canadians,” said Yussuff.

In 2017, the investment of big pharmaceutical companies was the lowest it has ever been in 30 years—a paltry 4.6%—and nine-in-ten new-patented medicines offered slight or no improvement in therapeutic benefit over existing therapies.

The post Federal government announces positive changes to drug pricing regulations appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

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 pharmacare has come,” writes Dr. Eric Hoskins, the Council’s chair. “This is our generation’s national project: better access to the medicines we need, improved health outcomes and a fairer and more sustainable prescription medicine system.”

This is the unfinished business of medicare, as envisioned by the late Tommy Douglas. As Saskatchewan’s seventh premier, Mr. Douglas pioneered North America’s first universal, single-payer health care system. It would become a cornerstone of Canada’s social safety net and a key pillar of our nation.

We know that a fair society must be one in which every person has the opportunity to succeed and to thrive. Just as unions have advocated for expanded pensions and better workplace conditions for all workers, so, too, do we believe that universal, public pharmacare is a necessary step towards greater fairness.

As numerous studies have shown, millions of Canadians are struggling to afford to pay for their prescription medications. One study found that nearly a million Canadians sacrificed basic needs such as food, and close to a quarter of a million people gave up heating their homes. This lack of affordability is hurting not only people’s health and well-being, but the economic strength of our communities.

The new report demonstrates that every family will save, on average, $350 per year on medications. It also points out that the average business owner will save about $750 per employee. That will open up capacity for businesses to increase wages, or expand other types of coverage, including for dental and vision care. It also supports small businesses that find it difficult to compete for workers when they can’t afford to offer drug coverage.

There will be an upfront cost, specifically at the outset, but as time goes on, the money our provincial health care systems will save will be significant. A recent study found that over 300,000 people had additional doctor visits, 93,000 had to go to the emergency department and 26,000 people were admitted to hospital – all because they couldn’t pay for their medications. That creates a significant burden on the health care system, one that we can alleviate with a national drug plan.

There’s a lot of money to be made in the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. Canadians pay some of the highest drug prices in the world, up to an additional $9.9 billion per year, according to the Canadian Health Coalition. Those prices would come down, saving at least five billion dollars with population-wide bargaining and competitive prices.

But you can bet there are plenty of wealthy corporate shareholders who are very satisfied with the status quo and who will always put those inflated profits ahead of people’s health care needs.

In fact, a report by the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions earlier this year uncovered a 600% increase in lobbying by at least one major industry group between 2017 to 2018.

“The pharmaceutical industry sees the implementation of pharmacare as worthy of the deployment of unprecedented lobbying resources,” concludes the report.

Our governments, though, serve the public good, not private interests. That’s why the independent advisory council has provided the clearest blueprint yet for this major investment in the people of Canada.

Will our elected officials support this national vision? Or will they toe the industry line and support half-measures that will continue to line industry pockets while putting people’s health at risk?

It’s up to voters to ask those questions in the lead up to this fall’s federal election.

Hassan Yussuff is the President of the Canadian Labour Congress. Follow him on Twitter @Hassan_Yussuff.

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“Universal pharmacare will fundamentally improve the lives of all Canadians and, with this report, we finally have a blueprint for completing the medicare system Canada first adopted back in 1966,” said Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) President Hassan Yussuff. “Canada’s unions have been a leading voice advocating for a public, universal and single-payer plan and today’s report shows that the Advisory Council has listened to the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who demanded a pharmacare plan for everyone.”

In their final report, released today, the Council concluded that Canada’s current patchwork system of prescription drug coverage is inadequate, unfair and inefficient. It is a conclusion long supported by public opinion, health economists and medical professionals, but one that has been vigorously opposed by big pharma and the insurance lobby. Despite industry pressure, the Council has recommended that the federal government work with the provinces to implement a universal pharmacare program.

“The evidence overwhelmingly shows that a public universal pharmacare program will provide equal access and coverage for all Canadians, reduce drug prices, and save employers and taxpayers billions of dollars,” said Yussuff. “While Canada’s unions do not support the copayments and user fees in the report, the report clearly charts a path in the right direction.”

Recent polls show that 89% of Canadians consistently say they support universal public pharmacare. Canada remains the only country with a national medicare program that doesn’t provide national coverage for pharmacare.

Canada’s unions are calling on the federal, provincial and territorial governments to fully embrace the report and work together to accelerate its implementation.

“Everyone with a health card in this country should be able to access the prescription medications they need,” said Yussuff. “This report lays out a roadmap to universal pharmacare and now it is up to governments to follow it. There is no doubt this will be a ballot box question in the federal election.”

The post Canada’s unions say pharmacare council gets it right, now governments must act appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

“Pride season is an important moment to come together and celebrate the victories and visibility of LGBTQ2SI activism in our communities”, said Larry Rousseau, Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). “It is also a critical moment to reflect on how tenuous those victories are with the surge of hate messages and attacks on human rights seen globally. Canada’s unions are ready to defend against clawbacks to the gains we’ve made for the rights and freedoms of sexual and gender minorities.”

Canada’s labour movement has an important role to play both domestically and internationally when it comes to protecting the rights of LGBTQ2SI communities. In June, the International Labour Conference concludes negotiations toward a new international labour standard on violence and harassment in the world of work, a clear direction to governments and employers to prevent, remedy and address violence and harassment in the world of work.

“We are working hard to negotiate a comprehensive and inclusive standard that recognizes that some groups of workers, including LGBTQ2SI workers, are disproportionately exposed to and impacted by violence and harassment,” said Marie Clarke Walker, CLC Secretary-Treasurer. “The ILO needs to send a clear message that violence and harassment should never be part of the job,” added Walker.

In Canada, unions have played a crucial role in challenging homophobia and transphobia, and building workplaces and communities that are inclusive and supportive of LGBTQ2SI people and families. The Public Service Alliance of Canada recently launched their ‘Building Trans-Inclusive Workplaces’ online tool kit, which includes materials to support trans workers and their allies in the workplace. The British Columbia Teachers’ Federation has been mobilizing to defend the modernization of the provincial education system with meaningful inclusion of anti-homophobia and anti-transphobia resources and lesson plans. In Ontario, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation are joined by students and activists across all major social justice movements to fight back against a 10 year set-back to the provincial sexual health and gender education curriculum.

“Make no mistake, it is clear that there is a coordinated and ideological attack on the rights of LGBTQ2SI communities in Canada and globally,” said Rousseau. ”This Pride season, I’m proud to be a part of a labour movement that is ready to resist and defend the rights of all of our workers and their families.”

Canada’s unions are leading the push for a national pharmacare plan. LGBTQ2SI people face worse health outcomes because of the compounding impacts of homophobia and transphobia in our health care system and in our society. Access to health care, including medication, is a fundamental human right. For members of the LGBTQ2SI community, that means a universal, single-payer pharmacare plan we can be proud of.

Unions across Canada will be participating and visible in Pride events in their regions. For a full list of Pride event and to find one near you, please click here.

The post Time for Pride celebration, and resistance to attacks on human rights, say Canada’s unions appeared first on Canadian Labour Congress.

The CLC, which represents over 3 million Canadian workers, issued an immediate response to the budget but is now releasing a more detailed budget analysis that outlines the commitments on important issues for working Canadians.

This budget takes tentative steps toward national pharmacare, and provides important measures to support lower income seniors, skills training for workers, reforms to the Employment Insurance (EI) appeal process and infrastructure funding for communities to assist as Canada transitions away from coal-powered electricity.

However, the budget’s failure to provide pension protection in the face of corporate bankruptcy, lack of investments in child care, and inaction on measures to support workers in terms of income, training and re-employment as recommended by the Just Transition Task Force, leaves much work unfinished.

Read the full analysis here.

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“Canadian workers, their families and their communities will benefit from new budgetary measures that lay the groundwork for curbing exorbitant medicine prices, income inequality, and climate change,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff. “We are pleased to see a budget that acknowledges some of the most pressing issues facing Canadians, because these are the issues that voters will be taking to the ballot box in the federal election.”

 Canada’s unions have long advocated for the introduction of a universal, single-payer pharmacare plan to reduce drug prices, save billions for families and businesses, and provide vital medicines to the 3.6 million Canadians who cannot afford to fill their prescriptions. Today’s federal budget delivers on a recommendation of the interim report of the federal Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare by announcing funding for a new federal drug agency to lead to the future development of a national formulary, as well as new funding for medicines for rare diseases.

“Canada’s unions continue to feel cautiously optimistic that a universal pharmacare plan is on the horizon. Today’s budget clears important obstacles but waits on the government’s pharmacare advisory council to prescribe the model for pharmacare delivery,” said Yussuff. “Experts all agree that Canada’s patchwork approach to prescription drug coverage needs to be streamlined, but drug costs won’t come down unless there is one plan and one buyer.”

Today’s federal budget also announced plans to introduce improvements to the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) by raising the $3,500 annual earnings exemption for employment income. Two million elderly Canadians, roughly one third of all seniors, receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement, which is targeted to the most vulnerable.

“Allowing working seniors to keep more of their GIS benefit will reduce financial insecurity in old age and make a material difference in the lives of seniors,” said Yussuff.  

Budget 2019 announced the government’s plan to prioritize skills and training, including the establishment of the Canada Training Benefit to assist with fees and provide income support for lifelong learning and skills development.

“The commitments in today’s budget signal that the government recognizes access to continuous learning must be a priority to ensure workers can adapt to technological change and emerging skill needs,” said Yussuff. “The success of today’s commitments will depend on funding and training opportunities reaching those who need it most. The Canadian Labour Congress has concerns about the design of the benefit, but remains committed to promoting worker awareness of, and access to, these new training opportunities.”

The CLC also welcomed Budget 2019’s funding commitment to reform the Employment Insurance appeal process. “Unemployed workers and Canada’s unions have long urged the government to restore transparency, efficiency and fairness to the appeal process. We applaud this important funding commitment,” said Yussuff.

Canada’s unions are pleased to see the federal government announce measures to ensure a just transition as the government addresses climate change. The 2019 Budget pledges $150 million in infrastructure funding to directly assist resource-based municipalities in establishing new fiscal drivers.

“I was proud to serve as Co-Chair for Canada’s Just Transition Task Force, and to work together with government to put people and communities at the heart of climate policy. Today’s budget commitment will help begin to ensure that communities are not left behind as Canada transitions away from coal-powered electricity by 2030,” said Yussuff. “Canada’s unions are looking forward to working with the Minister of Natural Resources as the newly named lead minister, but are disappointed to see that the government has not addressed key Task Force recommendations to support workers, in terms of income, training and reemployment needs. Without this, workers will be left behind.”

The Congress highlighted other positive announcements in today’s federal budget, including:

• Investments in stabilizing Phoenix in the short term, noting that more is needed for long-term planning and funding for a new system.
• Funding to support a new anti-racism strategy, funding for LGBTQ2+ organizations and establishment of an LGBTQ2+ Secretariat, Gender Equality funding to expand the Women’s Program and funds for Black Canadian communities.
• Action on tax avoidance and restrictions on stock-option deductions, which overwhelmingly benefit a small number of high-income earners.

The Congress also noted several concerns over budgetary omissions, including:

• A missed opportunity to immediately provide pension protection and address the injustice workers and pensioners face during employer bankruptcy.
• A failure to expand the EI sickness benefit.
• A lack of new investments in high quality, affordable, public early learning and childcare.

For more information, please contact:

Chantal St-Denis
CLC Communications
613-355-1962
Email: cstdenis@clcctc.ca

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To advance the goals of fairness and to deal with urgent unmet needs, Canada’s unions are looking for expanded investments in pharmacare, Employment Insurance, child care, affordable housing, and just transition measures to create good jobs while moving Canada toward a low-carbon economy. These investments must address the significant and growing inequality that is intensifying economic insecurity for working people, undermining the social mobility of families and the health of communities across Canada.

Here’s what a “Fairness Budget” means for working people:

1. Universal National Pharmacare

When calling on their government for a national pharmacare plan, Canadians have been clear: we do not want half-measures that continue to grossly inflate medication costs, driving up corporate profits at the expense of universal public coverage. Budget 2019 must outline the federal government’s plan and budget future expenditures to implement a universal, single-payer pharmacare program in Canada. The Interim Report from the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare called on the government to create a new, arms-length, national drug agency to develop and manage a comprehensive national drug formulary and conduct negotiations with drug manufacturers. Budget 2019 should allocate money for this purpose. Universal pharmacare won’t just ensure everyone has access to the life-saving medications they need, it will save households and employers billions of dollars. Canada is the only developed country in the world with a universal public health care system that does not include universal coverage for prescription drugs. As a result, more than 3.6 million Canadians cannot afford to fill their prescriptions and Canadians pay the third highest drug prices in the world. A universal public pharmacare program will ensure that all Canadians have equitable access to life-saving prescription drugs and it will save families and employers billions of dollars.

2. Pensions and Retirement Security

Canadians have been shocked by the high-profile bankruptcies of Sears and other companies that have left retirees stranded, without the pension protection they had been promised after decades of loyal service. The federal government must take steps to ensure that workers who have paid for pensions throughout their working lifetime are not penalized if their employer enters insolvency. The government has many options for ending this injustice. Budget 2019 should take steps to reform federal bankruptcy laws to ensure that plan members and retirees are protected, introduce mandatory pension insurance to look after pensions and benefits in bankruptcy, and implement better monitoring and regulation of companies that sponsor underfunded defined-benefit pension plans (DBP).

3. Affordable Housing

In 2017, the federal budget committed to a new National Housing Strategy and the government has publicly recognized that access to shelter is a human right. Canada’s unions want to see the federal government partner with provincial counterparts to build new affordable housing and invest in the existing affordable housing stock. In particular, budget 2019 should expand investments in First Nations housing on reserve and signal the federal government’s intention to work with provinces, territories and cities in order to crack down on absentee ownership and speculative investment in housing. Canadian workers also want to see the government build and re-invest in temporary and emergency shelter spaces for women and children, and expand social housing, mental health support, and addiction services to help the homeless and those at risk of homelessness.

4. Just Transition

Canada must broaden its economy, invest in new jobs and new industries in all communities, and invest in training to prepare workers for the jobs of the next decade. As Canada transitions away from coal-powered electricity, the federal government needs to ensure affected workers have support to transition to new employment or a dignified retirement, depending on where they are in their working life. Coal communities need targeted investment and transitional supports. The final report of the labour-led Task Force on Just Transition for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities was released on March 11. The federal government should act quickly on the recommendations of the Task Force and build on the $35 million announced in budget 2018 to support just transition training and adjustment measures for workers and their communities. Investing in renewable energy, efficient buildings and retrofits, and public transportation will create good jobs while reducing emissions. Ambitious green job-creation targets and support for the low-carbon economy should serve as a framework for sustained, long-term investment in Indigenous communities and low-income urban youth, in order to counteract the forces of inequality, discrimination and despair.

5. Employment Insurance

The government has committed to a broad review of the EI program to address the fact that EI leaves far too many unemployed workers with no safety net. Canada’s unions welcome a full and immediate review of the EI program, and immediate changes to improve the access of unemployed workers to benefits, as well as the adequacy and duration of those benefits. The federal government should also expand the EI sickness benefit and re-examine the financing of the EI program. Finally, the budget should restore fairness and tripartite participation in the EI appeals process to ensure that workers receive the benefits they are entitled to in a timely manner.

6. Investments in Skills Training, Literacy and Life-Long Learning

In order to prepare workers to adapt to technological change and emerging skills needs, budget 2019 should fund access to continuous workplace training and lifelong learning. Given that strong literacy and essential skills are vital for equal participation, the government should ensure core funding for literacy organizations and invest in a new national workplace literacy program delivered in partnership with trade unions. The government should prioritize broad access to training opportunities, for women as well as men, and groups with fewer opportunities including youth, lower-skilled workers, workers with disabilities, newcomers to Canada, and workers of colour. The government should expand vocational education and training opportunities for youth, including in-work apprenticeships and on-the-job experience, while recognizing the vital role of public education and community colleges. The budget should also strengthen Just Transition labour adjustment programming to assist workers, their families and their communities affected by plant closures and climate change policy to access training and employment services, shift to new jobs, and transition to retirement.

7. Fairness for Children and Working Parents

Affordable, accessible and high-quality public child care is essential for women’s full and equal participation in paid work, for dividing unpaid care work more fairly between women and men, and for closing the gender wage gap. Canada needs a plan to achieve affordable child care for all families. Budget 2017 committed $7.5 billion over 11 years to create more child care spaces, but the government can and should expand this investment. Budget 2019 should allocate $1 billion for child care in the 2019-2020 fiscal year, with funds earmarked for Indigenous child care, and increase that amount each year until public spending on child care reaches at least one percent of GDP, the international benchmark used by the OECD, UNICEF and other international bodies.

8. Fairness for Indigenous People

True reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and undoing generations of injustice and discrimination will continue to require expanded multi-year investments in Indigenous communities. The federal government should invest in First Nations-led approaches to resolving the potable water crisis, including the development and implementation of source water protection plans, while ensuring expedited upgrading and maintenance of water systems. Budget 2019 should set aside funding to support equitable and statutory funding to ensure Indigenous child welfare services and expand investments in direct job creation, skills training and apprenticeship opportunities for Indigenous youth, men, and women

9. Fairness for Newcomers to Canada

Immigrants, migrants, and refugees are essential to Canada’s economy, diversity and regional development, yet newcomers continue to face enormous barriers in gaining access to decent jobs, housing, and settlement services. There are many important aspects to doing this. For instance, budget 2019 should include funds to expand settlement services to those who need it, including refugee claimants, migrant workers, citizens and those with precarious immigration status. Canada’s unions want the federal government to invest in the recognition of foreign credentials and expand bridging programs for internationally-trained immigrants and refugees to help newcomers find jobs that match their level of training and experience.

10. Tax Fairness and Reducing Inequality

Expensive tax cuts and tax loopholes have benefited the wealthiest in Canada to the point where the top one percent of income-earners now pay a lower overall effective tax rate than the poorest ten percent. In order to address growing inequality, Canada’s unions want the federal government to eliminate regressive tax loopholes that overwhelmingly benefit high-income earners. Budget 2019 should target new revenues from taxing foreign e-commerce firms appropriately in order to create a level playing field for Canadian providers, and by clamping down on corporate tax dodging through offshore tax structures, including through the application of a one percent withholding tax on Canadian corporate assets held in offshore tax havens.

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Its key recommendations begin to address the existing inefficiencies in an unfair system that leaves millions of Canadians unable to afford their prescriptions and grappling with the third highest drug prices in the world.

“The recommendations in today’s report have the potential to increase access and move to lower costs if implemented alongside a universal, national, public pharmacare program,” said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.

The Advisory Council undertook extensive consultations with Canadians. Their findings confirm what studies and polls have clearly shown: the current system is broken and leaves too many Canadians without the coverage they need. More than 3.6 million Canadians cannot afford to fill their prescriptions, according to government estimates.

“The creation of a national drug agency and the development of a comprehensive, evidence-based national drug formulary are significant changes that will move Canada in the right direction,” said Yussuff. “Delivering this through a pharmacare model designed similarly to Medicare will ensure that everyone, no matter where they live, has access to the medications they need, as they do right now with hospitals and doctors,” he continued.

Over the past two years, the Canadian Labour Congress has been campaigning for a universal pharmacare plan. Over that time, 108,000 people have signed a petition, 26,000 emailed their Member of Parliament and nearly 14,000 made submissions to the Advisory Council urging for the adoption of a universal single-payer public model. This campaign is supported by recent public opinion polls that show 88% of Canadians support a single-payer universal pharmacare program.

“Canadians need a universal pharmacare system and Canada’s unions will be looking to the final report for a comprehensive blueprint for the implementation of a public universal model of pharmacare,” he continued.

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Often called the father of universal healthcare, “Tommy” Thomas Clement Douglas, was a Canadian immigrant from Scotland. He was ill as a boy and was saved from losing a leg thanks to the charity of a doctor who operated for free to save the limb.

Years later, Douglas became active in the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), a political party formed in reaction to the social and economic conditions of the early 20^th century that culminated in the Great Depression. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1935, where he served before going on to lead the CCF to election victory in Saskatchewan in 1944. As Premier of Saskatchewan, Douglas led North America’s first social-democratic government.

Over the next two decades, Douglas oversaw the formation of social programs that continue today. He established the publicly-owned Saskatchewan Power Corporation , Canada’s first public automobile insurance program, and a number of Crown Corporations to deliver essential services. He passed laws that allowed government workers to unionize and adopted a Saskatchewan Bill of Rights 18 months before the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

But he is most remembered for establishing Canada’s first publicly run Medicare system in Saskatchewan in 1961. In doing so he became the father of universal health care in Canada.

In 1962, Douglas left Saskatchewan politics to become the first leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP), created by a merger of the CCF and the labour movement, led by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). He served as the party’s leader until 1971 and retired from elected politics in 1979.

In 1981 Douglas was appointed to the Order of Canada and in 1985 was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. He died on February 24, 1986 in Ottawa. In a 2004, CBC viewers voted to crown Tommy Douglas the “Greatest Canadian“.

Happy Birthday Tommy! And thanks for making sure all Canadian’s have affordable healthcare!

This is a great legacy for Canada and one many of us are proud of. But there is still work to do. The work of leaders like Tommy Douglas, groups like the Canadian Health Coalition, political parties like the NDP, and Canadian workers through their unions and the labour movement continues with today’s drive to win a universal prescription drug plan that covers all Canadians regardless of their income, age, or where they live.

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Our coalition believes that National Pharmacare should be a seamless extension of the existing universal health care system in Canada, which covers medically necessary physician and hospital services, and therefore operate in harmony with the principles of the Canada Health Act.

National Pharmacare should be governed by the following principles:

Universality

Coverage for all residents of Canada on equal terms and conditions.

Public, Single-Payer Administration

A publicly administered and delivered program that is integrated with the Medicare systems in which it operates, directly accountable to the public it serves, and leverages single-payer procurement to maximize purchasing power for the entire Canadian population.

Accessibility

Access to covered medications without financial barriers or other impediments.

Comprehensiveness

Coverage for as many medications as judged safe and effective by scientific evidence and based on the best value for money.

Ensure the public servant experts who select medications for coverage are appropriately insulated from political pressures and marketing campaigns.

Portable Coverage

Continuous and consistent coverage for residents who move within Canada.

In addition to the five principles above, our coalition believes that the federal government must offer leadership in order to achieve National Pharmacare. This must include substantial funding commitments, sufficient to induce provincial and territorial governments to opt-in to the national program.

Add your voice now www.aplanforeveryone.ca

Consensus principles signatories

National organizations

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
Canada Without Poverty
Canadian Association of Community Health Centres
Canadian Association of Social Workers
Canadian Association of Retired Persons
Canadian Association of Retired Teachers
Canadian Association of University Teachers
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Canadian Doctors for Medicare
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
Canadian Health Coalition
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Nurses Association
Canadian Nursing Students’ Association
Canadian Union of Public Employees
Canadian Women’s Foundation
Citizens for Public Justice
College of Family Physicians of Canada
Community Food Centres Canada
Congress of Union Retirees of Canada
Council of Canadians
InterPares
LeadNow
National Farmers Union
National Pensioners Federation
National Union of Public and General Employees
Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
SEIU Healthcare
Seniors’ Voice
United Food & Commercial Workers
Unifor
United Steelworkers of Canada
Women’s Shelters Canada / Hébergement femmes Canada

Provincial & territorial organizations

Alberta Association of Community Health Centres
Alberta Federation of Labour
Alberta Federation of Union Retirees
Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
Alternatives North
Alliance for Healthier Communities – Ontario
British Columbia Association of Community Health Centres
British Columbia College of Family Physicians
British Columbia Federation of Retired Union Members
British Columbia Nurses’ Union
Centrale des syndicats du Québec
Coalition solidarité santé
Friends of Medicare
Health Coalition of Newfoundland and Labrador
Manitoba Association of Community Health
Manitoba Federation of Labour
Manitoba Health Coalition
Manitoba Nurses Union
Médecins québécois pour le régime public
New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice Inc. / Front commun pour la justice social du Nouveau Brunswick Inc.
New Brunswick Health Coalition
New Brunswick Nurses Union
Northern Territories Federation of Labour
Nova Scotia Association of Community Health Centres
Nova Scotia Federation of Labour
Nova Scotia Health Coalition
Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union
Ontario Federation of Labour
Ontario Nurses’ Association
PEI Federation of Labour
PEI Health Coalition
PEI Nurses’ Union
Planned Parenthood – Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Health Centre
Public Health Association of British Columbia
Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario
Registered Nurses’ Union of Newfoundland and Labrador
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour
Saskatchewan Union of Nurses
Sexual Health Nova Scotia
Union des consommateurs
United Nurses of Alberta
Yukon Federation of Labour

This list was last updated on October 18, 2018.

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Today, Labour Day marks the unofficial end to summer and the start of a new school year for children in Canada and the United States. It is a day of rest and, for unions and labour activists, a day to celebrate the accomplishments of the labour movement and the benefits of having a union at work.

But, as is the case with most holidays, the origins of Labour Day come from the struggles of working people and the demand for fairness. In this case, it was the movement to establish a 9-hour work day (the standard was a 12-hour work day and a 6-day work week) and a strike by printers in Toronto in the spring of 1872 to get it.

It’s the same old story: the callous and violent response of the printers’ employers – police were called in, union leaders were jailed, livelihoods were destroyed, reputations ruined – turned public opinion against the status-quo. Sensing a political opportunity to win support among Canada’s growing industrial working class (just months ahead of a federal election), Prime Minister John A. Macdonald passed the Trade Union Act, which legalized and protected union activity in Canada.

The strike ended shortly afterward. While it didn’t achieve its goal of a 9-hour work day, its legacy was long-lasting. Unions – now legal – began to demand fair wages, working hours and safer workplaces. The political class recognized that working people, as voters, were interested in issues that impacted their lives. The parades held in support of the Nine Hour Movement and the printers’ strike became annual events Toronto and Ottawa.

In 1882, an American labour leader witnessed the annual May “labour day” festivities in Toronto which inspired him to organize the first American “labor day” on September 5 that same year. The popularity of the event spread across the country. By the time President Grover Cleveland declared the first Monday of September as an official federal holiday in 1894, 30 states were already celebrating Labor Day.

In Canada, pressure had been mounting to declare a national labour holiday. On July 23, 1894 the government of Prime Minister John Thompson passed a law making Labour Day official. A huge parade took place in Winnipeg that year and the tradition of a Labour Day celebration quickly spread across Canada.

Today, hundreds of communities across Canada and the United States hold picnics, parades, concerts and marches to mark the day. Unions also keep the tradition of using Labour Day to advance workers’ rights and advocate for changes to improve the lives of working people and their families.

In Canada, this year, that tradition continues with the call for a national, publicly-administered, universal prescription drug plan – Pharmacare – for every Canadian and in every province and territory.

Join the call for a universal prescription drug plan at aplanforeveryone.ca.

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Labour Day offers Canadians an important opportunity to reflect on the legacy of unions, to take stock of our progress and to commit ourselves to working together for a fairer future. Canada’s unions work to raise the standards for every worker, from higher wages and pensions, to better safety standards. This year, unions are working to improve the health of everyone in Canada by campaigning for universal pharmacare.

Since launching a national campaign on pharmacare last year, the Canadian Labour Congress has seen significant progress, including the creation of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare by the federal government last spring.

“We’ve gained incredible momentum on pharmacare,” said Hassan Yussuff, CLC President. “We’ve been working closely with health coalitions, nurses unions, business groups, and a variety of medical professionals to start this overdue conversation in cities and towns right across the country. What we’ve heard time and again from Canadians is that pharmacare is the unfinished business of health care and it’s about time we get this done.”

Yussuff said that proposals by the insurance industry and Big Pharma won’t save Canadians, businesses or government money, but they will help increase those companies’ already high profits.

“More than 100,000 people across Canada have taken action to support universal pharmacare, and those numbers are growing daily,” said Yussuff. “We’ve said all along that patchwork coverage that varies from one province to another isn’t working for people in Canada, and a fill-in-the-gaps approach to pharmacare just isn’t good enough.”

The Advisory Council has launched both online and public consultations on pharmacare, and Canadians should take the opportunity to send their feedback to the government. Studies have consistently shown a majority of Canadians are struggling to afford to pay for their prescription medications, or worry about being able to afford it in the future.

“We’ve made great strides towards universal pharmacare in Canada. The government is listening, so now is our chance to get it right,” said Yussuff. “The right way forward – the only way that pharmacare will really work in Canada – is with a single-payer, universal program that covers everyone with a health card and delivers savings through bulk-buying.”

National pharmacare is both sound economic and social policy, that will have a positive impact on our communities,” Yussuff added.

For more information on the campaign visit aplanforeveryone.ca.

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“I am excited to welcome the six appointees to Canada’s newly minted pharmacare advisory council. They have an important job ahead of them and Canada’s unions are ready and willing to work with Dr. Eric Hoskins and the Council to make sure that we get pharmacare right for everyone,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff.

Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor and Advisory Council Chair Eric Hoskins unveiled the team the government has assembled to develop a plan to implement a national pharmacare program earlier today. Details of the Advisory Council’s plans for public consultations have yet to be revealed, however the government has launched online consultations.

“Pharmacare is the unfinished business of medicare and Canadians have been waiting since 1966 for publicly administered universal prescription drug coverage,” said Yussuff. “As I travelled the country, I heard from Canadians who are struggling with insufficient coverage, increasing co-payments, restrictions and limitations that make every day a struggle. We hope this Council will give voice to those people and inspire confidence that the health of their families will no longer be a financial burden.”

In fall 2017, the CLC launched “Pharmacare: A Plan for Everyone”, a national campaign that included a cross-country tour to highlight the failures of Canada’s inefficient patchwork system of prescription drug coverage. Studies show that 3.5 million people are unable to afford to fill their prescriptions. Many are splitting their pills or skipping days to stretch the prescriptions they do fill.

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The LGBTQ2SI community can often face more barriers than their straight and cisgender peers in accessing adequate health care. Yet, access to health care – including medication – is a fundamental human right.

“Universal pharmacare is about health equity. Everyone in Canada with a health card – regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation – should have access to the medications they need,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff.

Roughly one third of working people in Canada don’t have employer-funded prescription drug coverage. Many members of LGBTQ2SI communities face discrimination in the job market, which can restrict their access to meaningful employment with access to comprehensive drug benefits. Even those who do have workplace health benefits can find co-pays or deductibles prohibitive, preventing them from taking necessary medications as prescribed.

“Too many people in Canada must choose between paying for their prescription medications or buying groceries. For the LGBTQ2SI community, the barriers are even greater,” said Yussuff.

HIV prevention treatment, gender-affirming hormones, medication to treat anxiety or depression, and treatments in support of reproductive and sexual health and fertility – just to name a few – can be prohibitively expensive. Lack of access to some of these medications can have disastrous consequences.

“Universal pharmacare would improve the lives of so many by ensuring equal access to prescription medications for everyone. Here at home, Canada is making great strides in ensuring equality for LGBTQ2SI communities, but there is still a lot to be done,” added Yussuff.

The federal government has committed to addressing systemic discrimination experienced by LGBTQ2SI people. Canada’s unions have called on the government to do more, including ending the discriminatory ban on blood donation for all men who have sex with men. It’s past time to end this homophobic and transphobic policy once and for all.

Internationally, Canada has also become more engaged on LGBTQ2SI issues. Later this year, Canada will host Leaving No One Behind: the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) Global Conference on LGBTI Human Rights and Inclusive Development in Vancouver. Co-chaired by Canada and Chile, the ERC is the first-ever intergovernmental coalition dedicated to the protection of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people around the world.

To learn more about the CLC’s pharmacare campaign, visit aplanforeveryone.ca.

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Nearly 100 expert witnesses presented to the Committee, with the majority arguing that Canada needs universal, comprehensive, and publicly-administered prescription drug coverage.

“This announcement reinforces what we’ve heard at town hall meetings across the country: the current patchwork prescription drug system isn’t working. This is a great first step that will hopefully lay the groundwork for implementation of universal pharmacare in Canada,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff.

Last fall, the CLC launched a national campaign calling for universal pharmacare. Its pan-Canadian pharmacare town hall tour has so far visited 23 communities and garnered nearly 30,000 petition signatures and 7,000 emails to Members of Parliament.

“Over 3 million Canadians can’t afford their prescriptions and many people have reported skipping doses or splitting pills to stretch out their prescriptions,” said Yussuff. “Everyone knows someone who can’t afford to take their medication as directed.”

Canada is the only developed country in the world with a universal health care program that doesn’t include a universal prescription drug plan. Coverage in Canada vastly differs depending on where you live. Earlier this year, the government committed to a pathway to establishing universal pharmacare in its federal budget.

“Nobody should have to choose between paying for groceries and paying for the medication they need. That’s why we need a pharmacare plan that covers all Canadians, regardless of their age, income or where they live or work,” he said.

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In a joint letter sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today, the three organizations express dismay over comments made today by Morneau about pharmacare and say he should recuse himself from the pharmacare file given his perceived conflict of interest.

Download the letter

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,

Re: Minister Morneau should recuse himself from the pharmacare file given his perceived conflict of interest

We write to express our dismay at comments made today by Finance Minister Bill Morneau before the Economic Club of Canada regarding pharmacare. In the absence of any terms of reference for the newlyannounced Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare (ACINP), Minister Morneau has already presupposed the outcome. His comments today suggest a sharp turn away from the evidence-based pharmacare recommendations that every commission ever convened on the topic has made, as well as the commitments of Morneau’s own Liberal Party at their most recent convention.

In his comments before the Economic Club of Canada regarding the ACINP, Minister Morneau differentiated between a “national pharmacare strategy” and a “national pharmacare plan,” calling them “two very different things.” He went on to say, “we recognize that we need a strategy to deal with the fact that not everyone has access and we need to do it in a way that’s responsive – that deals with the gaps and that doesn’t throw out the system we currently have.”

Minister Morneau’s comments are incorrect: Canadians have witnessed decades of research, consultations, Royal Commissions and parliamentary studies which have overwhelmingly recommended a national pharmacare plan, not piecemeal coverage. Moreover, after receiving testimony from 99 expert witnesses, the Commons health committee is on the verge of unveiling a landmark report to Parliament which is expected to recommend the same: a universal pharmacare plan.

Minister Morneau’s comments contradict the overwhelming evidence and threaten to undermine the work of the ACINP before it even begins. We request that he retract these statements and recuse himself from involvement with the ACINP. This is a vital step to eliminate any perceived conflict of interest. To ensure its legitimacy, the ACINP must be guided exclusively by evidence and public interest. In his speech, the Minister also stated “my firm [Morneau Shepell] was the largest provider of benefits consultancy services in Canada.” With these deep ties to the private firm Morneau Shepell, we are concerned that the Finance Minister may not be approaching the issue of fundamental change in national drug insurance policies with an exclusive focus on evidence in the public interest.

As health professionals and labour leaders, we are committed to the wellbeing of patients and the effectiveness of our health care services, it is our hope that insurance industry and pharmaceutical industry interests will not play a role in the implementation of universal public pharmacare. Canada must join the rest of the industrialized world and establish what the evidence shows works best – a universal, public pharmacare system similar to our universal health care system.

We remain optimistic about the appointment of Dr. Eric Hoskins to chair the ACINP. With his track record in Ontario, as a public official committed to the wellbeing of patients, he is the right person for the job. We look forward to working collaboratively with Dr. Hoskins and the ACINP to assemble a blueprint for the implementation of a national pharmacare plan by early 2019. Thank you for your consideration of this letter.

Signed,

Linda Silas, RN, BScN
President, Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions

Dr. Danyaal Raza, MD MPH CCFP
Chair, Canadian Doctors for Medicare

Hassan Yussuff
President, Canadian Labour Congress

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Today’s federal budget commits to setting up an Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare headed up by former Ontario health minister Dr. Eric Hoskins.

“We are very pleased to see the government committing to a pathway that will finally establish a universal prescription drug plan for all Canadians, regardless of their age, income or where they live. We hope to see the promise of universal pharmacare fulfilled before the next federal election,” said CLC president Hassan Yussuff.

The federal budget also promises to deliver long overdue proactive pay equity legislation in the Budget Implementation Act.

“Women in Canada have waited far too long for fairness, and Canada’s unions look forward to working with the government to get this legislation right,” said Yussuff. “That means ensuring, for example, that it establishes both a distinct Pay Equity Commission and a Hearings Tribunal – two essential components of a proactive pay equity regime.”

Yussuff was also encouraged to see implementation of a long-standing call for dedicated leave for second parents, but had hoped that child care would be more of a priority in a federal budget focused on boosting participation of women in the workforce.

“The evidence is very clear that the most effective way to remove barriers to women’s participation in the workforce is with a universal child care system,” said Yussuff. “That’s why we had hoped to see this budget commit to increasing child care spending – over time – to reach the internationally recognized benchmark of one percent of GDP.”

Yussuff said he was happy to see the budget commit to expanding protections to workers under the Wage Earner Protection Program Act.

The budget increased the maximum limit so that workers’ final paychecks, severance and vacation pay are better protected when companies go bankrupt.

“It’s unfortunate, however, that the government didn’t go further, ensuring that pensioners have the same protections and are prioritized in bankruptcy situations,” said Yussuff.

Yussuff highlighted other positive announcements in today’s federal budget, including:

• New apprenticeship and training initiatives including incentive grants for women entering the Red Seal trades, pre-apprenticeship programs targeting under-represented groups, additional supports for women in trades and investments in skills building for women new to Canada.
• Extending Working While on Claim provisions to those on maternity and sick leave.
• Making Status of Women Canada an official government department and providing it with $100 million over five years to enhance the Women’s Program.
• A commitment of an additional $86 million over five years to the Gender Based Violence Strategy and additional commitments to combat workplace harassment and violence.
• A commitment to five days of paid leave for victims of domestic violence.
• Funding to combat anti-black racism.
• Moves to close tax loopholes and crack down on tax evasion, including the imposition of a $50,000 threshold on passive income.
• A pledge to replace the beleaguered Phoenix pay system.

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The same message is being highlighted in meetings today between over 300 union representatives from across Canada and more than 175 ministers, Members of Parliament and Senators.

“Nobody should have to choose between buying groceries and paying for the medication they need,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff. “But today 3.5 million Canadians can’t afford their prescriptions.”

“That’s why Canada’s unions are campaigning for pharmacare, here with our lobby day on Parliament Hill today, and over the next few months with town hall meetings across the country,” he added.

Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade, emphasized why employers are out front in the push for universal pharmacare.

“The burden of Canada’s incomplete and inefficient system of public drug coverage falls heavily on businesses, especially small and medium sized enterprises that comprise the backbone of Canada’s economy,” she added. “With rising costs of medications, many businesses are seeing their bottom lines erode and some find they simply cannot afford to provide insurance plans for their employees.”

Dr. Monika Dutt, a family physician and Canadian Doctors for Medicare board member, emphasized the cost of health outcomes when patients fail to take their medications as prescribed.

“As a doctor, it’s hard to come up with an effective care plan for a patient when you’re uncertain if they can afford to fill their prescriptions or take their medications as prescribed,” said Dr. Dutt.

A recent study by Canadian Doctors for Medicare and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives highlights why pharmacare makes economic sense too.

“Our research found that a universal pharmacare plan will save billions of dollars a year by eliminating current federal, provincial and territorial programs, private insurance and out-of-pocket expenses paid by individual Canadians,” she added.

Marissa Semkiw, Director of Policy and Government Relations for CARP, highlighted support for pharmacare among her organization’s membership.

“Ten percent of CARP members have admitted to skipping prescription medications because of costs, and 87 percent support consistent drug coverage across all of Canada,” said Semkiw. “Canada is the only developed country in the world with a universal health care program that doesn’t include a universal prescription drug plan. It’s time we recognize that the two go hand in hand.”

Almost 30,000 Canadians have signed on to the CLC’s petition calling for universal pharmacare since its campaign launched on Labour Day. Over the next few months, the CLC will host town hall meetings in more than 25 communities across the country, featuring Canada’s foremost pharmacare experts and advocates.

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