Today, on the twelfth annual World Day for Decent Work, Canada’s unions are calling for a federal task force on care work and care jobs in Canada. The World Day for Decent Work is a global day of action for trade unions around the world. The theme for 2019, Investing in care for gender equality, recognizes that work in the…

Every year on October 4, Sisters in Spirit Vigils occur across Canada to honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people. This October 4, Canada’s unions are echoing calls from Indigenous families, communities and organizations for the implementation of all 231 Calls for Justice from the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and…

Canada’s unions are marking Gender Equality Week 2019 by calling on federal political parties to commit to creating a fair Canada for everyone. “Gender Equality Week was created to celebrate recent gains while reflecting on the work that needs to be done to improve gender equality and women’s rights across Canada,” said Marie Clarke Walker, Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour…

This National Indigenous Peoples Day, Canada’s unions say action on reconciliation must become an urgent national priority. Earlier this month, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) released its final report, including 231 Calls for Justice to address the alarming rate of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. To date, no implementation plans…

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Representatives from labour, governments, and employers are meeting this month as part of the 108th International Labour Conference in Geneva. Marie Clarke Walker, Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), serves as the Worker Spokesperson and will continue as a key leader in the effort to strengthen obligations…

By Marie Clarke Walker The numbers are staggering. More than 800 million women globally have experienced some form of violence and harassment, ranging from physical assault to verbal abuse, bullying and intimidation, according to the International Trade Union Confederation. Here in Canada, a 2018 Angus Reid study found that 1 in 2 women reported experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace.…

Canada’s unions are calling the long-awaited report on the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls the necessary and long overdue blueprint for immediate action. The report, released today, follows three years of painful testimonies from 2000 affected individuals and their families, shared during dozens of community meetings across the country. “The final report calls what is happening…

Following a series of regressive abortion laws passed in several American states, Canada’s unions are expressing solidarity with advocates in the United States who are fighting to protect reproductive rights. The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) further commits to protecting our own hard-won gains and to fill the gaps in access to sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada, including…

By Hassan Yussuff, as published in The Globe and Mail. It was disheartening to see some of the negative reactions to a recent proposal that free menstrual products should be available in all federally regulated workplaces. There clearly remain a lot of misperceptions and ignorance about the challenges women face every day in the workplace. Access to menstrual products is…