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March 28, 2025 by 1996-O Executive

Unifor Votes! Election Day is April 28

Lana Payne headshot

On April 28, Canadians will vote to elect Members of Parliament who will form Canada’s next federal government.

This election is critical for our union and for all working people across this country. Given the extremely challenging economic times we live in, there is no doubt that the stakes couldn’t be higher.

I have heard from so many of you over the past few months. Unifor members are worried about the impacts of an escalating trade war initiated by the United States on our jobs, our families and our communities.

This is why we have launched our national Unifor Votes member-to-member campaign to connect with Unifor members, to engage you on our union’s top issues, and to encourage you to get out and vote. Unifor member organizers are already working the phones and knocking on doors to reach out to our members in every region.

Together, we’re going to demonstrate the political power we can have when we organize.

In this election, just like in previous federal elections, Unifor has not endorsed any political parties.

But this election is too important for us to sit on the sidelines.

Our union is putting forward demands to build a strong and resilient economy in Canada. We’re calling on all candidates and political parties to support the interests of working people this election by endorsing our plan to protect Canadian jobs.

Unifor is calling on all parties to commit to the following:

  • Protect Canadian jobs with bold industrial policies, to build economic resilience, strengthen our nation, and reduce dependency on the U.S.;
  • Strong supports to mitigate job loss, keep workers on payrolls and expand Employment Insurance for those who need it;
  • Stand up for equality and the things that make us Canadian by keeping health care public, expanding $10-a-day child care, and taking real steps to end intimate partner violence, and
  • Tackle the high costs of living and housing that are holding families and young people back.

This federal election will decide who represents us on the international stage. We need to consider who the best leader is to take on the local and global role of making our economy less reliant on the U.S., and who is ready to take on Trump.

For the next month, our union will work tirelessly to ensure the interest of workers are front and centre.

Our entire economy – and indeed our livelihoods – are depending on it.

Please be sure to engage with our Unifor Votes team when they reach out to you in your community, or virtually.

Third Party Obligations and Paid Advertising

Some local unions sometime choose to pursue their own advocacy through paid advertising during an election campaign. Unifor is registered as a third party for this election, which means that paid advertising by local unions, including issue-based advertising, could expose Unifor and individual locals to significant obligations and risks. Please contact Josh Coles, Unifor Director of Membership Mobilization and Political Action with any questions before making plans to purchase paid advertising at josh.coles@unifor.org.

For Québec, please contact Hugues Perreault, Unifor Quebec’s Political Action and Mobilization Officer, at hugues.perreault@unifor.org with any questions before planning any paid advertising or other election-related expenses.

How to Vote

  • Vote in person at any Elections Canada office up until April 22 at 6 p.m.
  • Vote at any advance voting location in your electoral district from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. April 18-21.
  • Vote at your assigned voting location on election day, Monday April 28.

To read our Union’s priorities in this election visit uniforvotes.ca

To learn more about how Unifor is fighting for a strong and resilient economy in Canada visit the national campaign to Protect Canadian Jobs.

I look forward to connecting with our local unions during this critical federal election.

In solidarity,

Lana Payne
Unifor National President

Filed Under: Uncategorised

March 28, 2025 by 1996-O Executive

New EI Special Measures for Benefits and Work-Sharing

March 27, 2025

 

The federal government has recently introduced a series of special Measures affecting Employment Insurance (EI). The changes are meant to both prevent unemployment and to improve EI access and benefit duration for some workers.

Please review the attached fact sheets on both of these special measures. To see additional details for any current special measures, please visit the Employment and Social Development Canada webpage ‘Special measures‘.

Work Sharing Special Measures

In response to U.S. tariffs, and the threat they pose to Canadian jobs, the Federal Government announced temporary special measures to the Work-Sharing Program that will be in place from March 7, 2025, to March 6, 2026.

These special measures expand employer and employee eligibility, allowing more workplaces and workers classifications to us the program.

Work-Sharing is a federal program funded by Employment Insurance (EI) that assists employers and workers to avoid temporary layoffs when there is an unusual slowdown in production or service.

Pilot Project 24 Special Measures

Pilot Project 24 implements changes to the EI eligibility to temporarily improve access and benefits.

The one-week waiting period and separation rules are suspended for a period of 6 months starting on March 30, 2025.

Additional changes to the regional unemployment rates will also improve access and benefit duration for some workers for a period of 3 months starting on April 6, 2025.

These special measures will make a big difference for some workers, but more is needed to keep Unifor members working and to fix Canada’s EI system.

In the current federal election, Unifor has called for additional EI fixes now to mitigate the effects of tariffs, but also permanent, long-term improvements to both EI and labour adjustment supports for workers in these times of transition.

EI is the most important economic stabilizer for workers in times of job loss, training, or transition. Unifor will keep pushing for improvements to EI both during and beyond the federal election.

In solidarity,

Lana Payne
Unifor National President

Filed Under: Uncategorised

March 28, 2025 by 1996-O Executive

Unifor Fights for Forestry Jobs

March 26, 2025

 

🍁 Our jobs. Our mills. Our communities. Our country.

Unifor National President Lana Payne and Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier tell us how Unifor is fighting for forestry jobs.

Canada is a country of forests and Unifor is proud to support 22,000 workers in sawmills, pulp and paper plants, and wood products manufacturing. Let’s stand together to fight tariffs and keep good forestry jobs here in Canada.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

March 21, 2025 by 1996-O Executive

Unifor calls for Prime Minister Carney to unite team Canada

March 14, 2025

TORONTO- On Prime Minister Carney’s first day in office, Unifor calls on him to heed the calls of workers to protect Canadian jobs in the face of unprecedented U.S. trade attacks.

“Prime Minister Carney, as you take on this role know that Unifor members, indeed all workers, have high expectations of you. You’re stepping into a new job while many, many others are at risk. We need leadership that is thoughtful, strategic and bold,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

Unifor recommends a strong response to Trump’s tariff threats, and progressive actions to protect jobs, industry and public services. The union calls on Prime Minister Carney and his new team to:

–    Protect Canadian Jobs with bold trade and industrial policies, to build economic resilience, strengthen our nation, and limit U.S. dependence;
–    Continue to consult the Prime Minister’s Council on Canada-U.S. relations;
–    Strong workplace supports to mitigate job loss, keep workers on payrolls and expand Employment Insurance  for those who need it;
–    Stand up for the belief in equality that makes us Canadian, keep health care public, expand $10-a-Day child care, and take real steps to end intimate partner violence, and
–    Tackle the high costs of living and housing that are holding families and young people back, and are causing a widespread homelessness crisis in our country.

“It’s not enough to go tit for tat with Trump. We need to make big moves, today, that will decrease Canada’s reliance on the United States and protect our industries and public services for years to come. We may be days away from an election, but the world will keep spinning, and progress must continue to protect Canadian jobs,” continued Payne.

Unifor’s Protect Canadian Jobs campaign outlines the union’s fight against tariffs and encourages the public to take a “Buy Unifor” pledge.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

March 21, 2025 by 1996-O Executive

Canada’s top telecom warns trade war will add to wireless-unit challenges

Source: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca

By Bloomberg News

Published: March 19, 2025 at 10:05AM EDT

Canada’s largest telecom company by revenue warned that a prolonged trade war will drag on economic growth, which was already hampered by a drop in domestic immigration targets.

“Everyone is going to have to get comfortable with lower volumes of sales,” BCE Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mirko Bibic said in an interview with Bloomberg.

“And then, if customers get concerned around the economic impacts of tariffs, and there’s less demand for second lines, third lines — there will still be a demand as penetration goes up, but penetration may not go up as fast.”

Canada plans to admit nearly 20% fewer permanent residents this year than in 2024, as well as fewer foreign students. This smaller pool led to a 56% year-over-year drop in net postpaid wireless subscriber additions during BCE’s fourth quarter

Read more click the above source link…

Filed Under: Uncategorised

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