TORONTO—Unifor condemns Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) executives for awarding themselves more than $5 million in bonuses, including nearly $2.4 million to CEO Mirko Bibic, following massive job cuts and stock drops.

“This announcement dropped on April Fool’s Day, but sadly, this is no joke,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

“The company laid off thousands, its stock went down by 30% and yet, the richest and most powerful continue to profit off the back of our members.”

The union launched its “Shame on Bell” campaign in March 2024, in response to the company’s Feb. 2024’s announcement that BCE was callously eliminating 4,800 jobs, including 800 Unifor members in telco and media – its largest reduction in 30 years.

Most recently in Feb. 2025, Unifor learned Bell were planning another workforce reduction that will potentially cost another 1,200 workers their jobs in telco.

Bell is guilty of decades of hollowing out Bell’s workforce, including an October 2024 announcement to cut 120 jobs at Expertech, a June 2024 50-person job cut at Bell Media, and a 1,300-person cut in June 2023, and many more.

“Amidst this trade war, we need major Canadian companies to invest in good jobs at home and Bell continues to fall short when they should be making a long-term plan on a thriving workforce,” said Payne.

Unifor rallied in Ottawa last spring to call out Bell for postponing a scheduled hearing before the House of Commons Heritage Committee to answer for the termination of 9% of its workforce.

In his April 2024 appearance before the House of Commons Heritage Committee, Bibic failed to justify cutting thousands of jobs while BCE increased their dividends to a record-high $3.7 billion in 2023.

Unifor represents more than 19,000 telecommunications workers at BCE and its subsidiaries. The union also represents more than 2,100 members at Bell Media.

Unifor members are putting their elbows up to fight Trump’s trade war. Unifor National President Lana Payne joined Local 222 members in Oshawa for an emergency tariff meeting that brought together hundreds of union reps representing thousands of workers at GM Oshawa, and thousands more across the city and the Durham region. We’re in the fight of our lives and not one job will be lost, not one plant closed, not one community hurt without a fight.

TORONTO—Unifor is calling on the federal government to keep all options on the table in the escalating trade war with the U.S. as new auto tariffs will fall on Canada’s auto sector at midnight tonight.

“Trump is gaslighting us, wanting us to be grateful for not having reciprocal tariffs imposed on Canada while he tries to pick off our domestic industries one by one. We won’t fall for it,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Today’s announcement offers absolutely no relief to Canadian workers who are ready to fight for every job, every plant, every community in this U.S.-initiated trade war.”

In today’s tariff announcement at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump did not include Canada in sweeping country-wide reciprocal tariffs. However, previously announced tariffs on non-CUSMA compliant Canadian-made vehicles will come into effect on April 3. The U.S. will also continue its existing 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum as well as other tariffs on Canadian exports, including softwood lumber, and threatened tariffs on pharmaceuticals, copper, semiconductors, wood products and others expected to come into force in the future.

“No one can deny what Trump is trying to do: divert investment away from Canada, steal Canadian jobs, and threaten our sovereignty,” added Payne. “The reality is that this trade war is just getting started and Canada is still feeling the pain of U.S. trade penalties disproportionately worse than any country in the world. That’s why Canada needs the strongest possible response to these tariffs while we work towards building a more resilient Canadian economy.”

Unifor’s comprehensive submission to the federal government’s U.S. tariff consultations, released today, calls for a strong response to U.S. economic aggression, including tailored counter-tariff measures for the auto sector. Industry experts anticipate that cost of new vehicles will rise dramatically with a slowdown of new vehicle sales predicted.

Read Unifor’s recommendations to protect jobs and build a more resilient Canadian economy here.