OTTAWA – A new alliance of telecommunications workers is denouncing the offshoring of thousands of Canadian jobs by major telecommuncations corporations, to the detriment of the Canadian economy, as well as Canadians’ privacy, security and sovereignty.

The Canadian Telecommunications Workers Alliance – a coalition of Unifor, the United Steelworkers of Canada and CUPE, three of Canada’s largest unions – is sounding the alarm about this growing crisis and demanding legislation from the federal government to protect Canadians’ jobs, privacy, and the security of Canada’s telecommunications infrastructure.

Over the last ten years, almost 20,000 jobs in the telecommunications sector have been outsourced abroad to the United States, India, the Philippines, Egypt, and others.

Canada is not only losing thousands of jobs, but the offshoring of services is putting Canadians’ data in danger, as large telecommunications companies use subcontractors abroad who aren’t subject to Canada’s rules and protections, and entrust them with instant access to Canadians’ personal data.

The telecommunications sector is an essential sector for Canada’s security and sovereignty, and a vital component of our national infrastructure. Canada, simply put, would not function without it. We cannot allow it to be compromised by increasing foreign operational control.

“We cannot build a resilient economy while shipping essential work overseas. Offshoring telecommunications jobs isn’t just a blow to workers, it undermines our digital sovereignty. We are standing together to demand the federal government protect Canadian jobs and ensure our critical infrastructure is operated and secured by Canadian workers,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President.

“In this moment where our economy and our sovereignty are facing real threats, we should be doing everything possible to protect good jobs in Canada, rather than rolling over and letting big telcos hollow out our communities and ship livelihoods overseas,” said Mark Hancock, National President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

“Telecommunications is critical national infrastructure. When jobs in this sector are offshored, it doesn’t just hurt workers – it weakens accountability and puts Canadians’ privacy at risk. Protecting good telecom jobs in Canada is inseparable from protecting our data, our security, and our digital sovereignty,” said United Steelworkers (USW) National Director Marty Warren.

Together, the Alliance represents more than 1.3 million workers, including 32,000 workers in the telecommunications sector.

TORONTO– Unifor welcomes measures in the new federal auto policy to map the direction of industry, with the understanding that this plan must be backed by bold action to safeguard Canadian auto jobs and ensure a future for autoworkers at idled plants in both Brampton and Ingersoll.

“We need a strategy that reassures workers that automaking has a future in Canada, regardless of U.S. trade attacks,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

“The bottom line for all automakers must be if they want to sell in Canada, they have to build and invest in Canada. The free ride must end for companies that take from Canada’s $100 billion sales market while giving nothing back.”

The strategy contains positive measures, including the continuation of counter-tariffs on U.S.-made light duty vehicles, but the union is disappointed that the counter-tariff program still does not apply to heavy duty trucks, and urges immediate action. As well, Unifor is encouraged by the government’s commitments to strengthen tariff remission measures, in a comprehensive way, for domestic automakers that maintain their production commitments to Canada. Unifor fully intends to participate in federal government consultations on recalibrating the tariff remission plan to better reward automakers that build here and penalize those who don’t. The union remains concerned about the recent Canada-China EV arrangement deal and continues to seek strong safeguards against import surges of China-made vehicles.

“Government is giving itself an opportunity to explore all options, to expand its remission program, and think strategically about leveraging our vehicle market to secure long-term investments,” said Payne. “This is a chance for Canada to be propositional in its demands of automakers, and to get work back into our plants.”

The boosting of strategic investment funding supports, strengthening of vehicle fuel economy standards, return of EV purchase incentives, and investment in charging infrastructure will also assist to counter the damaging effects of President Trump’s pull back of U.S. EV strategy.

“Within this new strategy we need governments to deliver clear, deliberate policies that grow good union jobs, protect our plants, and strategically transform domestic industry for a net-zero future,” added Payne.

Unifor members brought the fight for public health care to Parliament Hill this week, meeting directly with MPs and senators and joining a public rally to call for action as shortages and long waits continue to strain services in communities across the country.

Members joined the Canadian Health Coalition’s Parliament Hill lobby days on Feb. 9 and 10, raising concerns about the expansion of private, for-profit delivery, staffing pressures, and access to care.

“We are facing the most consequential economic crisis Canada has ever seen,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “We cannot allow anyone to use this economic crisis to roll back the public, universal health care we know Canadians deserve. We need to keep organizing, keep fighting and keep standing up for health care workers and the public system we all need and rely on. You can’t have a strong economy without strong public health care.”

The coalition said more than 200 advocates from across the country took part in lobbying meetings, bringing front-line realities into discussions about federal funding, national standards and accountability in health care.

“Workers in Ontario are living the consequences of a system under strain, and people are worried about what happens when private delivery expands,” said Samia Hashi, Unifor Ontario regional director. “We made it clear the way forward is rebuilding public capacity and addressing staffing shortages, not downloading care to for-profit providers.”

For Unifor members, the message was consistent across meetings: fix what is broken by building up the public system and addressing staffing shortages, not outsourcing care to private providers.

As part of the lobby week, a public rally was held on Parliament Hill on Feb. 10, bringing together Unifor members, health care workers, community advocates and allies to defend public health care and reject a move toward two-tier access.

“Atlantic Canadians are feeling the same pressures, including shortages, closures and longer waits,” said Jennifer Murray, Unifor Atlantic regional director. “Members raised what they are seeing at home and what needs to change so care is there when people need it.”

Unifor says the work will continue beyond Parliament Hill. The union will keep working with allies to bring members’ experiences to decision-makers and to push for improvements that strengthen public, accessible care across Canada.