“Workers have always understood that an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. Canada’s unions are proud to be allied with the trans and gender diverse communities bravely facing down attempts from conservative and alt-right politicians trying to distract from their economic mismanagement by scapegoating the most vulnerable among us,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.

In Canada and around the world, there is a growing backlash against human rights, with the most relentless forms of harassment and violence directed at trans and gender diverse people. From 2016 to 2023, Statistics Canada reports that police-reported hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation had increased by a staggering almost 400%.

More recently, governments in Saskatchewan and Alberta have taken aim at the fundamental rights of queer and trans youth by denying them access to education, health care, and other protected human rights. These governments admitted that their use of the notwithstanding clause violated people’s basic rights and freedoms. That didn’t stop the Alberta government from using the same clause to violate teachers’ protected bargaining rights. Trans and gender diverse people were the first targets, but they won’t be the last. 

“Conservative right-wing forces, supported by uber-wealthy oligarchs, want hard-working Canadians to turn on each other. They help fuel the ongoing affordability crisis, keeping workers, families, and entire communities in a constant state of struggle. Meanwhile, the politicians they control push anti-human rights agendas to keep everyone distracted and divided,” said Larry Rousseau, Executive Vice-President of the CLC. “Well, this TDOV, we’ve got news for them: Canada’s unions remain united against hate and, more determined than ever, will continue the fight for a society that supports dignity, human rights and equal opportunities for all Canadians.”

Workers are taking action every day to build, sustain and defend a progressive and united vision for our unions, workplaces, and communities.  

• Canada’s unions are part of global human rights advocacy efforts for more inclusive and representative language on gender rights and gender justice in bilateral and multilateral agreements that affirm, protect, and dignify the human rights of all working people;
• The CLC is proud to be united with 2SLGBTQIA+ rights organizations across Canada, like the Society of Queer Momentum, EGALE Canada and the Enchante Network, working together on our collective and solidarity-driven vision of an inclusive Canada for every worker and their family; and
• Union representatives are fighting—and winning—provisions at the bargaining table that affirm access to gender affirming health care services, workplace transition supports and anti-violence, harassment, and discrimination policies that make work safer for everyone.

“On Trans Day of Visibility 2026, Canada’s unions are proudly proclaiming that our movement is one of Workers United Against Hate. Together with our allies, we will push back on any anti-worker agenda that seeks to politically divide us, and we will win,” said Rousseau.

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“On behalf of the Canadian Labour Congress, I want to express our solidarity and support to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) members in New Brunswick,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Frontline workers who did so much to keep our communities going throughout the pandemic deserve so much better. Canada’s unions stand in solidarity with CUPE workers.”

Despite the strike being now in its 12th day, Premier Higgs has declared the government has no plans to return to the bargaining table. Last Friday, the New Brunswick government announced they were using the Emergency Measures Act and the COVID-19 state of emergency to force some public employees back to work.

“Premier Higgs could end this dispute but seems to lack the will to do so. Turning to back-to-work legislation or using the province’s COVID-19 emergency order to block a strike – rather than negotiating a solution in good faith around the table – shows the premier’s lack of commitment to good faith negotiations,” concluded Bruske. “New Brunswick’s Public Sector workers aren’t only fighting for themselves, they are fighting for fair wages, real quality of life improvements and protecting pensions for people across New Brunswick and across Canada.”

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

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