Racism in Canada? Yes, it’s still rampant. And we need a government that will commit to working to end it.
March 18, 2015
On February 24, Quebec court Judge Eliana Marengo told a young Muslim woman named Rania El Alloul that she would not hear her case unless she removed her headscarf. We’ll be thinking of Rania El Alloul and other Canadian Muslims facing discrimination in their day-to-day lives when we commemorate the United Nations (UN) International Day for the Elimination of Racism…
This year’s African Heritage Month is especially important for two reasons; the United Nations (UN) has declared 2015 2024 to be the International Decade for People of African Descent, and this African Heritage Month kick starts a decade of political advocacy throughout the world. Meanwhile in Canada, federal elections will be held this year presenting a real opportunity for the…
On Human Rights Day, we recognize that human rights are integral to security
December 10, 2014
More than 13 years after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, we continue to see governments interpret “national security” in a way that erodes basic human rights and civil liberties. Rather than recognizing that human rights and civil liberties are integral to security of any kind, we see governments implementing legislation and policies in ways that are…
CLC disappointed in court ruling on security certificates
May 16, 2014
The CLC is disappointed by a Supreme Court of Canada ruling that says it is constitutional for the government to use security certificates in detaining and trying people in Canada who are not citizens. The court’s judgment relates to the case of Citizenship and Immigration v. Harkat. Mohamed Harkat is a native-born Algerian and permanent resident of Canada who was…
Ottawa right to suspend TFWP in fast food sector: Georgetti says employers abusing migrant worker program
April 25, 2014
OTTAWA ― The Canadian Labour Congress says the federal government has done the right thing in suspending use of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) for employers in the fast-food restaurant sector. “These employers have been abusing the TFWP and it is high time that the government took action,” says CLC president Ken Georgetti. “My question is why it took…
CLC wants full review of TFWP: Georgetti comments on hiring practices at McDonald’s franchises
April 17, 2014
OTTAWA ― The President of the Canadian Labour Congress has called for a “full, open and transparent review” of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP) in the wake of media stories describing hiring and staffing practices at a number of McDonald’s restaurants. “The labour movement has been saying for years that the TFWP is being abused by employers,” says CLC…
How the Conservatives expanded the temporary worker pipeline
January 20, 2014
For decades, Canada has relied on migrant workers to help develop the economy. Many come through the government’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). This program was intended to fill very specific jobs on a short term basis—jobs that required workers and skills that did not exist in the country. But since 2006, the Harper government has made it much…
CLC mourns passing of Nelson Mandela – Unions were involved in anti-apartheid struggle
December 5, 2013
OTTAWA ― The President of the Canadian Labour Congress says that workers everywhere are mourning the death of Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa and leader of the African National Congress (ANC). “Canadians will forever remember the courage and dignity of a statesman who devoted his life to end South Africa’s system of apartheid, the legalized racial discrimination…
Tinkering won’t fix TFWP’s flaws: Georgetti on changes to foreign worker program
August 9, 2013
OTTAWA ― The Conservative government’s announced reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) amount to tinkering and fail to address fundamental flaws with the program, says Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress. “The government is trying to patch gaping holes in the integrity of the TFWP with half-hearted reforms,” says Georgetti, “but this falls far short of…
Migrant workers account for most new jobs: CLC has crunched numbers between 2008-2011
May 10, 2013
OTTAWA ― New research conducted by the Canadian Labour Congress shows that in recent years migrant workers are filling most of the new jobs created in the Canadian economy. “Roughly 75% of the new jobs created in Canada in 2010 and 2011 were filled by temporary foreign workers despite the fact that 1.4 million Canadian residents were unemployed,” says Ken…