Labour Day marches took place across the country today including here in Ottawa.
CTV News reports: “One thousand people marched through downtown Ottawa on Labour Day, celebrating workers’ rights while reflecting on a softening local job market and uncertainty surrounding Canada’s ongoing trade dispute with the United States. The annual parade brought together union members, workers, and their families on Monday [September 7].”
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), Unifor, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) posted Labour Day messages here, here and here.
The CLC statement highlights: “This Labour Day, Canada’s unions are standing up for workers’ jobs, livelihoods, and rights as Trump’s trade war creates growing uncertainty for working people across the country.”
Unifor also stated: “Unifor’s national and regional leaders continue to sound the alarm that the tariff crisis is a country-wide fight that demands governments at every level defend Canadian jobs, invest in domestic industrial strategies, and put workers at the centre of the response.”
And the PSAC commented: “Our collective strength is in action at every level of our union.”
The Canadian Labour Congress has stated: “Canada has a responsibility to stand up for international law, human rights, and the dignity of all people. That means recognizing Palestinian statehood [which Canada has now done], supporting a two-way arms embargo, ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid, and ending trade with illegal Israeli settlements. Workers in Canada expect their government to show leadership rooted in justice, accountability, and peace.”
The CLC has further noted: “The violence and suffering will not end if weapons continue to flow into the region. Canada must support an immediate two-way arms embargo to stop fueling the conflict. We urge the government to work with trade unions representing workers in the impacted arms and technology industries to develop a just transition plan to secure their livelihoods.”
