The Hon. Randy Boissonnault
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages
randy.boissonnault@parl.gc.ca

August 23, 2023

Dear Minister Boissonnault

Re:  Emergency EI Measures for Workers Impacted by Widespread Fires including Migrant Workers

We are writing on a matter of some urgency.  Now and in the aftermath of the fires ravaging the West and North of this country, we are calling on your government to direct its attention to the dire circumstances facing workers in various sectors including migrant workers who have been displaced from their work and housing without income.

Many of these workers, including migrant workers, will face difficulties accessing EI benefits even though they pay EI premiums. The large number of community and labour organizations supporting the Interprovincial EI Working Group have long called for substantial EI reforms and better access for all workers, including the migrant workers often excluded from basic rights because they are denied permanent resident status. The case for making such improvements has never been more compelling.

It is worth recalling that the Liberal Party earlier anticipated the need for an EI Disaster Assistance Benefit. However, there has been no follow through to date which means, at this critical juncture, we need Emergency EI Measures that are responsive to a climate emergency with the fires still burning:

• Extend EI to allected migrants in all impacted regions of the West and the North; and cover all Temporary Foreign Worker streams including agricultural work, live-in caregiving and low wage occupations in a variety of sectors.
• Provide relief from EI’s standard 420 to 700 qualifying hours which, given the current circumstances, will prove too onerous for migrant workers as well as many other workers who are not migrants but in part-time, temporary, and precarious jobs.
• Include a minimum EI benefit, as during the Covid emergency, to protect low-income workers and support EI’s automatic economic stabilization role.
• Ensure other supports for displaced workers who are undocumented or on other temporary resident visas.

We support the work of the Okanagan Wildfire Task Force and the attached letter from the BC Migrant Workers Centre to Minister Marc Miller, specifically their call for emergency open work permits for migrants and emergency access to EI.

If you have any questions, please contact us by email or telephone 416-917-0047.

Sincerely,

on behalf of the Interprovincial EI Working Group

Fires are ravaging the Northwest Territories and British Columbia, upending lives and leaving thousands in urgent need of help. Families are being forced to evacuate with little notice, and the scale of devastation is immense.

“In moments of crisis, our collective strength shines brightest when we come together to support those in need,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “As part of the Unifor community, our solidarity and compassion empower us to make a lasting impact during times of crisis.”

The fires in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia have left a trail of devastation, but we have the power to bring hope and relief.

“I have no doubt that our membership will step up and help those in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia,” said Len Poirier, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer. “Extending a helping hand to those in need is ingrained in our union’s DNA. These acts are the cornerstone of Unifor’s mission in building a better world.”

The Unifor Social Justice Fund has donated $75,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to support relief efforts in the fire zones.

Members are encouraged to click on the links below to donate:

Northwest Territories: https://www.redcross.ca/NWTFiresAppeal/Unifor

British Columbia: https://www.redcross.ca/2023BCFiresAppeal/Unifor

Your donation to the Canadian Red Cross will have an immediate and lasting impact. Funds will be utilized to provide critical relief, support ongoing recovery efforts, and build resilience in the face of future challenges. Donations will not only aid those directly impacted by the fires but also bolster preparedness and risk reduction strategies for future all-hazard disaster events.

Join us in taking action today to provide essential aid to those effected by the fires in Northwest Territories and British Columbia.

Striking grocery workers have begun secondary picket lines at two Metro distribution warehouses in Toronto, in the fourth week of ongoing job action by 3,700 Unifor members.

“Frontline grocery workers are tired of being ignored and underpaid by Metro during an affordability crisis,” says Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Metro can expect secondary picket lines at more of their properties until they come back to the table with a serious wage offer for these brave workers who are forgoing their paycheques to take a stand against corporate greed. Workers are rightfully demanding more from one of Canada’s richest grocers—whose historic profits aren’t being fairly shared with the workforce responsible for their success.”

The union recently rejected Metro’s offer to come back to the table with the assistance of a Ministry-appointed conciliation officer. The Unifor Local 414 Metro bargaining committee, comprised of frontline Metro workers, unanimously voted against going back to the table until Metro returns with an improved offer.

“This dispute is about giving workers a raise so they can afford food, rent, and to support their families,” says Gord Currie, Unifor Local 414 President. “Frontline grocery workers have already told us loud and clear that Metro’s offer simply wasn’t good enough.”

Unifor also represents workers at Metro’s distributions centres, who went on a week-long strike in early April 2022, where the new secondary picket lines have formed.

“Metro can try to shortchange workers, but our members are fighting back with the full force of their union, our national labour movement, and community allies by their side,” says Payne.

Unifor represents more than 3,700 frontline Metro grocery workers at 27 GTA stores who have been on strike since Saturday, July 29.

MONTREAL- Unifor is encouraged by Ford’s commitment to invest in a battery cathode plant in Bécancour, Quebec, alongside Korean companies EcoProBM and SK On.

As the union representing 37,000 auto workers across the country, including Ford workers, Unifor welcomes this further commitment to re-invigorate Quebec’s auto industry and anchor the electric vehicle transition in Canada.

“Ford’s investment announcement in Bécancour is an important step towards the reestablishment of a stronger and more sustainable automotive industry in Quebec and Canada,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Every job along the automotive supply chain has the opportunity to translate significant economic benefit not only to workers and their families, but also to its surrounding region, and our country.”

The facility, to be built by the consortium EcoPro CAM Canada is due to open in 2026 and is set to bring 300 new jobs to the region. This investment joins a series of battery projects already announced or under construction, including a GM facility in the region.

“Quebec has a significant history in automobile construction, both in assembly and parts manufacturing, which is somewhat forgotten today. The cumulative announcements made in the Bécancour region herald a true renaissance of this economic sector in Quebec,” said Daniel Cloutier, Unifor Quebec Director.

On August 10, 2023, Unifor officially opened contract negotiations with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis on behalf of union members at the Detroit Three.

The union remains committed to ensuring that every automotive job in Canada should be a good, union job.

The union’s automotive policy, Navigating the Road Ahead, includes 29 strategic recommendations to build a strong auto sector, and create good, union jobs.