October 7th is the World Day for Decent Work and this year’s global theme is “Change the Rules.” Around the world and here in Canada, unions mark the Day for Decent Work by organising, campaigning and advocating for improved working conditions for all workers. The Canadian Labour Congress is conducting campaigns calling on the federal government to address key issues…
Sisters in Spirit Vigils on October 4th are an annual way to honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada. The violence experienced by Indigenous women and girls is a national tragedy that unions and the labour movement have been pressuring governments to address. Each year, the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) and Families of Sisters…
Industrial workers of the world (iww) declared illegal in Canada
September 24, 2018
On September 24, 1918, the Canadian government made membership in the Industrial Workers of the World illegal. The maximum sentence for membership in the IWW was five years to be served in one of 24 internment camps. War brings out the worst in people and part of the propaganda of government in war time is to play on fear; fear of the…
Canadian postal workers go on strike for maternity leave – and win big!
June 30, 2018
On June 30, 1981, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers led its members into a strike to win improved maternity leave benefits. The strike lasted 42 days and changed everything. It won 17 weeks of paid maternity leave and set a new standard for parental benefits that all workers would soon access. In 1981 after a 42-day strike, the Canadian…
Canada’s unions mark National Indigenous Peoples Day by calling for two-year extension of MMIW public inquiry
June 21, 2018
This National Indigenous Peoples Day, Canada’s unions are calling on the federal government to grant the two-year extension to the mandate of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Earlier in June, the Commission was only granted a six-month extension in response to its request to add an additional two years to their mandate. “We must…
The first Bread and Roses March, an initiative of the Fédération des femmes du Québec (FFQ), began on May 26, 1995. Over the course of 10 days, more than 800 Québécoise demonstrators set off from Montréal, Longueuil and Rivière-du-Loup and converged on Québec City with nine demands of the government to combat poverty. In 1994, Françoise David took the helm…
CLC President Hassan Yussuff: Our hearts are with the people of Toronto
April 24, 2018
On behalf of the over three million members of the Canadian Labour Congress, I extend my deepest condolences to the victims, friends, coworkers and families of those who were targeted in yesterday’s terrifying van attack in my hometown of Toronto. While it may take some time to uncover the motivation behind this heinous act of violence, we can take comfort…
Remembering Rana Plaza: Canadian corporations must do more
April 23, 2018
Canada’s unions are marking the fifth anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster by urging Canadian companies to commit to protecting and promoting the human rights of textile workers. On April 24, 2013, over one thousand garment workers were killed or injured when the Rana Plaza factory collapsed. Investigations showed that working conditions in the building did not meet safety standards.…
“In the dark days prior to and during the Great Depression of the thirties there appeared on the Canadian scene a young woman whose fiery spirit and love of humanity carried her to the forefront of the struggles of the men and women who were striving to find a way out of the darkness of poverty, unenlightenment, and despair.” **…
November 25 is the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women, and the beginning of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. The campaign is an opportunity to reflect on the impact of gender-based violence on our lives, work and communities, and to take action to eliminate it. In Canada, unions and many other organizations hold events and actions on…