Fighting for Workers’ Rights: Canada’s Unions Lift Everyone Up

Bruske: This is a pivotal moment in our labour movement. We need to organize to give every worker the power that comes with signing a union card.

MONTREAL – Thousands of workers from across Canada gathered to adopt an ambitious plan to improve the lives of working people. The 30th Constitutional Convention of the Canadian Labour Congress called for changes to labour laws to make it easier for workers to unionize.

“What we heard is clear: we need to make it easier to organize new job sites, to help bring fairness for workers across the country”, said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Workers need better protections, fairer wages, and safer workplaces, and unions are the best and fastest path to achieving all of those.”

Thousands of delegates discussed the urgent need to ban scab labour and strengthen labour laws, protect public health care, and tackle the climate crisis. They also passed resolutions combatting homophobia and transphobia, in support of reconciliation with First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, and to tackle systemic racism.

“We need urgent action to address the worker shortage currently affecting Canada’s care system, said Bruske. “And our governments must address high interest rates and the crushing cost of food, fuel, rents, and key services that Canadians rely on.”

Delegates re-elected CLC President Bea Bruske, Secretary-Treasurer Lily Chang, and Executive Vice-Presidents Siobhán Vipond and Larry Rousseau for another term. “We are honoured to continue serving Canada’s workers and to build on the work of the past two years,” said Bruske.

“A major theme of this year’s event focused on how unions can lift everyone up. The resolutions passed by delegates prove that unions are a powerful force for good in our communities – by making life more affordable, increasing access to unions, and fighting to build healthy, inclusive societies, we can improve the lives of everyone.”

The event, which closed today, was attended by thousands of delegates from unions across Canada.

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