Friends and Allies, 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 ……
Budget 2021: Canada’s unions welcome ‘crucial’ funding for child care, skills training and $15 federal minimum wage
April 19, 2021
Canada’s unions are applauding significant investments in child care, training and skills development and a $15 federal minimum wage, in addition to a further expansion of emergency benefits announced in today’s federal budget. “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…
Budget 2021: Canada’s unions call for strong measures to help pandemic recovery
March 30, 2021
As people in Canada continue to struggle with the impacts of COVID-19, workers and their families need strong measures to help ensure a healthy economic recovery when the pandemic is over. In Budget 2021, the federal government will unveil its roadmap towards economic recovery. The CLC recently presented its recommendations for Budget 2021 in a pre-budget submission to the government.…
Too many people are struggling to pay for their medications
February 19, 2021
By Hassan Yussuff, Doug Roth, Linda Silas, as published in Toronto Star A silent health crisis is looming as more people struggle to pay for their prescription drugs. Even before the pandemic, the statistics were staggering. About 7.5 million citizens—one in five Canadians—either did not have prescription drug insurance or had inadequate insurance to cover their medication needs. One…
Health and labour groups aligned in push for universal access to prescription drugs
February 16, 2021
Heart & Stroke, Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) have teamed up to raise the urgency of a national pharmacare plan. The groups have launched a campaign calling on Canadians to tell the federal government that Canada deserves #PharmacareNow. Heart & Stroke, CLC and CFNU are working together for the first time around a shared…
Workers with disabilities must help shape Canada’s Disability Inclusion Strategy
December 3, 2020
Canada’s unions are marking December 3 – the International Day for Persons with Disabilities –by calling on the federal government to include persons with disabilities in Canada’s economic recovery strategy. 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…
Canada’s unions mark World AIDS Day by calling for universal pharmacare
December 1, 2020
Canada’s unions are marking World AIDS Day by calling on the federal government to implement single-payer, universal pharmacare. This call has taken on new urgency, given that millions of workers have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 and are now struggling to pay for their prescription medications. World AIDS Day is observed every year on December 1, in support of…
OTTAWA – Hundreds of workers from communities across Canada are meeting virtually with their MPs this week, part of the country’s first-ever national Action Week, organized by Canada’s unions. 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…
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of Canada’s care system. On October 29, Canada’s unions are joining together the International Trade Union Confederation and global unions for a Global Day of Action on Care. 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…
On Labour Day, the nation’s unions launch a plan to disaster-proof Canada
September 4, 2020
Ottawa – To mark Labour Day, Canada’s unions are calling on all levels of government to focus on investments and community supports to help restart our economies and protect Canadians. 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.…