National AccessAbility Week: Income Security Critical to Accessibility
May 29, 2024
Canada’s unions mark National AccessAbility Week by calling on the federal government to support people with disabilities amid Canada’s cost of living crisis. Poverty remains a significant barrier to economic and social inclusion for persons with disabilities. National AccessAbility Week celebrates the valuable contributions of people with disabilities in Canada and highlights the actions needed to create an accessible Canada.…
Reject corporate gaslighting and deliver help for people in Budget 2024
March 25, 2024
By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress as published in iPolitics We hear a familiar call coming from wealthy interests – joining forces once again with Conservatives – banging the drum for more corporate tax giveaways and deeper cuts to government spending in the upcoming Budget. Bay Street analysts and bank lobbyists loudly lament Canada’s “tumbling productivity”, sneeringly spreading blame…
Canada’s unions are celebrating the passage of Bill C-22, the Canada Disability Benefit Act, after it received royal assent on June 22. “We have stood in solidarity with disability activists and organizations who have lobbied for this benefit for years. Today is a historic moment to celebrate these efforts and reaffirm labour’s support to lift the floor on disability poverty…
Never again: Canada’s unions mark 10 years since the Rana Plaza factory collapse
April 24, 2023
On April 24, workers in Bangladesh and across the globe will gather to mark the anniversary of the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse and mourn the loss of the more than 1,100 workers who were killed. Over 2,500 workers and their families continue to live with the aftermath of serious injuries sustained in one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.…
Governments must help families facing economic precipice
July 28, 2022
Bruske: Mounting evidence of low-income families at grave risk from inflation crisis must be wake-up call to all levels of government OTTAWA––Canada’s unions are calling on Canada’s governments to take immediate action to increase supports for low-income people as evidence mounts of a growing number of families unable to afford skyrocketing housing, energy and food costs. “So many are struggling…
Canada’s unions call for fast-tracking of Canada Disability Benefit
May 28, 2022
Canada’s unions are marking National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) by calling on the federal government to address systemic inequities and help end disability poverty by immediately tabling the long-promised Canada Disability Benefit. “It is past time that the Canada Disability Benefit be re-introduced in Parliament and fast-tracked into legislation,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “With COVID-19 still…
Canada’s unions mark World Day for Decent Work with a call for a robust economic recovery plan
October 7, 2020
COVID-19 has exposed flaws in social protections in Canada and around the world. The effects of this pandemic on health, employment, income, gender and racial equity are all the more catastrophic because of pre-existing gaps in our social safety net. Before the pandemic, ever-increasing globalization meant many workers were employed in precarious, low-wage work with few, if any, benefits. Now…