Canada’s unions are appalled with the federal government’s decision to wait another two years to start addressing the gender wage gap. “Despite the report of the House of Commons Special Committee on Pay Equity being titled It’s Time to Act, action on this issue doesn’t seem to be high on their agenda,” said CLC Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Byers. “The government says…
Today the Canadian Labour Congress joins Indigenous communities across Canada in celebrating National Aboriginal Day. The CLC is also taking this opportunity to congratulate the government for endorsing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples this past May. The declaration recognizes Indigenous peoples’ basic rights on issues including language, land, health, and education. “It is an endorsement that…
Top 10 things Canadian unions want to see in the federal budget
March 14, 2016
Early next week, the federal Liberal government will table their first budget. This is an historic opportunity for our government to respond to the jobs crisis, while also beginning to repair services and programs that Canadians rely on. Working Canadians and their families are facing a precarious economic picture, but Canada is well-positioned to turn things around. Last October, the…
International Women’s Day: Time to Invest in Child Care
March 4, 2016
“We must open the doors and we must see to it they remain open, so that others can pass through.” — Rosemary Brown International Women’s Day (IWD) has its roots in women’s struggles for labour rights and universal suffrage: it originated in 1909 in honour of the previous year’s New York garment workers’ strike. Today, with women making up almost half…
This Sunday, February 14, isn’t just Valentine’s Day. For the last 26 years, at marches from coast to coast to coast, it’s been a day to commemorate the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The very first march happened in 1991 out of a sense of anger and hopelessness following the murder of a Coast Salish woman…
On Dec. 6, CLC focuses on domestic violence in the workplace
December 4, 2015
It has been more than 25 years since 14 women were murdered at Montreal’s École Polytechnique. And yet, women and girls in Canada still face violence in their homes, schools, workplaces, and communities every single day. For the past two years, the Canadian Labour Congress has been spearheading an initiative to address the impact of domestic violence in the workplace.…
What you need to know about the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
November 4, 2015
With the recent federal election dominating the airwaves, many Canadians missed hearing about one of the UN’s most important summits of the year. Between September 25 and 27 the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit was held in New York, and that world leaders endorsed Transforming Our World – The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2030 Agenda includes 17 Sustainable…
This election, let’s make justice a reality for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls
October 2, 2015
This Sunday, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) joins thousands of Canadians as we mark October 4 as a day to honour and remember the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Across the country, the labour movement joins families, Indigenous and women’s organizations at vigils and events to support the Sisters in Spirit movement. The RCMP now estimates…
Red River Women – on the trail of the murdered and missing Aboriginal women in Winnipeg (From the BBC)
June 4, 2015
Each year, dozens of Canadian Aboriginal women are murdered or disappear never to be seen again. Some end up in a river that runs through the heart of Winnipeg. BBC reporter Joanna Jolly went on the trail of the murdered and missing to find out why so many of Winnipeg’s Aboriginal women and girls have been killed. This is an…
The whole point of Canada’s system of Employment Insurance (EI) is to support workers through periods of temporary lay-off or inability to work, including sickness, maternity, parental, and compassionate leave. It’s an insurance system that pays for itself through contributions from both employers and employees. EI is especially critical for women since we are more likely to be supporting a family on our own.…