Marie Clarke Walker to receive African Canadian Achievement Award of Excellence
February 15, 2017
The Canadian Labour Congress is congratulating Executive Vice-President Marie Clarke Walker for receiving the African Canadian Achievement Award (ACAA) for excellence in business. Walker is one of fifteen recipients being honoured for their work as contemporary Black history-makers by the ACAA. The ceremony is considered one of the African Canadian community’s most prestigious Black History Month events. “I’m very proud…
The past, present, and future of working while Black
January 31, 2017
by CLC Executive Vice-President Marie Clarke Walker In 1946, Halifax businesswoman Viola Desmond went to a movie and sat on the main floor. The staff asked her to move: as a Black woman she was only allowed to sit in the balcony. When she refused, she was hauled out of the theatre by police and held overnight in jail, without…
On February 13, 2017 in honour of Black History Month, the Canadian Labour Congress is launching “Working While Black”, an educational and interactive webinar series for workers of colour and allies. The series will celebrate the contributions of Black activists and organizers in Canada, strengthen solidarity across movements, and build skills and knowledge for confronting anti-Black racism in workplaces and…
Dear Ms. Leitch, As the President of the Canadian Labour Congress – representing over three million working women and men from every background – I am writing to you with a clear message: racism and division are the most anti-Canadian values of all. Your proposal to screen new immigrants based on so-called “Canadian values” at best pretends to appeal to…
CLC wants Canadian mayors to address use of lethal force and systemic racism in policing
July 28, 2016
Canada’s largest labour organization is saddened and outraged by news of yet another black man dying after a violent confrontation with police, this time in Ottawa, and it calls on Canada’s mayors to take action. 37-year old Somali-Canadian Abdirahman Abdi died on Monday after succumbing to injuries sustained after being pursued and, according to several witnesses, violently beaten by Ottawa…
In solidarity against violence and systemic racism
July 8, 2016
The world is reeling from the devastating shootings in the United States this week. First, two black men were killed by police officers. Then, during a peaceful protest against those shootings, five police officers were shot dead and another seven were injured. “We are all experiencing profound grief and anger right now. But as we take time to mourn the…
Unions stand in support of Syrian refugees and against xenophobia
March 18, 2016
March 21 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a day to reflect on racism in our communities and redouble our efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination. Although the Syrian refugee crisis had been building since 2011 due to the civil war that led millions to flee their homes, the haunting picture of a dead…
Today, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its final report documenting the dark history and legacy of Canada’s residential school system, in which more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were subjected to systemic racism, abuse and other forms of mistreatment. The final report, formed after six years of collecting testimony from more than 6,500 survivors, makes…
Asian Heritage Month: A time to celebrate and remember
May 1, 2015
This month workers from East Asia, South Asia, Western and Southeast Asia will celebrate Asian Heritage Month, recognizing the contributions and sacrifices made, and adversity overcome, by generations of Asians in Canada. The Canadian Labour Congress recognizes the rich history of, and contribution by, Asian Canadians to the Canada we live in today. Celebrations will take place during the month…
They come to Canada to fill jobs that employers cannot find Canadians to fill, they work, pay taxes, contribute to CPP and they put back into the local economy. These are Canada’s Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW). The TFW program has existed for years. But now the government has announced it will impose a four year limit on the cumulative duration…