OTTAWA — Canada’s largest public and private sector unions stand united against attacks on Canadian workers initiated by the United States Administration’s escalating trade and investment war.
Unifor and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), together representing more than one million workers in Canada, stand in solidarity and are committed to building a stronger, more resilient economy. Our organizations will work collaboratively, and in common purpose, responding to the existential challenges facing Canada. We believe in the power of collective action, and together, we will ensure that workers emerge from this crisis stronger and more prosperous than ever before.
We are united in our calls to protect and create Canadian jobs as we build a strong, sustainable, and resilient economy built by and for workers. We call on all levels of government to stand up for Canadian workers in these extremely challenging economic times.
Navigating the U.S.’s unjustified trade war against Canada means we must reject the failed economic policies of the past – policies that enable low wages, job cuts, factory closures, and the privatization of services that hurt working families. Governments that deprioritize the concerns of workers and that, putting profits and corporate interests ahead of the best interests of families, and communities will be aggressively challenged by our unions.
CUPE and Unifor have developed solutions to support workers and the national economy in these turbulent times and chart a path for good jobs in both the public and private sectors for generations to come.
Together, we call on the Federal government to:
• Develop a Robust Made-in-Canada Procurement Strategy: Municipal, provincial, and federal governments must work together to implement procurement strategies that prioritize Canadian-made products and services, bolstering our domestic industries and creating good jobs.
• Deliver Strong Supports to Workers: The Federal government must prioritize workplace supports in the midst of a U.S. trade war, to continue operations and ensure workers remain on payrolls, while also expanding Employment Insurance to meet the needs of workers facing joblessness.
• Strengthen the Transportation Sector: Years of privatization and under-investment have left passengers and workers vulnerable, highlighting the urgent need for public investment in air and rail travel, as well as transit, to ensure reliable services and good jobs.
• Supporting and Expanding Public Services: Public services are desperately needed during an economic downturn. High quality, publicly-owned and adequately funded post-secondary education, child care, youth employment programs and social services will support the creation of jobs locally while ensuring people can access the supports they need. Canada has the foundations for strong public health care, which now includes the blueprint of expanded pharmacare and dental care – which should continue into the future.
• Supporting Investment in Public Infrastructure: Privatization of public infrastructure cannot be a part of any response to the current climate. All levels of government must work together to invest in expanding public infrastructure in our communities and across the country.
• Support Canadian Media and Telecommunications: We must protect Canadian media services and independent journalism by preserving and growing the workforce, as well as fostering a strong, affordable and Canadian-based telecommunications sector by putting an end to outsourcing.
• Regulate Inter-provincial Trade: While careful examination of ways to expand East, West, and Northern trade can foster economic sovereignty, it is crucial that these changes support equitable wealth creation across all provinces and territories. Eliminating inter-provincial trade regulations is not a cure-all for safeguarding Canadian jobs and prosperity. We must guard against changes that weaken workers’ rights, including health and safety and union rights, and we must protect public ownership of infrastructure and public delivery of services.
Our members will stand together – across the public and private sectors – to advance solutions that will protect all workers. Our collective vision includes ensuring that both public and private sector workers have the secure jobs and fair wages they deserve, while fostering an economy that benefits all Canadians.
Unifor represents 320,000 members across Canada working primarily in auto, aerospace, manufacturing, media and telecommunications, forestry, energy, mining, and transportation including rail, transit, road and aviation.
CUPE is Canada’s largest union representing more than 750,000 members working in airlines, child care, communications, education, emergency services, energy, health care, libraries, municipalities, post-secondary, social services, and transportation.