Share
While Canadians grapple with an affordability crisis, economic uncertainty and housing instability, the House of Commons’ Finance Committee is consulting for the 2024 federal budget.
Unifor’s priorities for next year’s federal budget are that the federal government think big and build big to shift the country, address the affordability crisis, stabilize the health care system, and ensure no worker is left behind.
"Major transformations are afoot, and the federal government cannot delay further investing in key sectors of the Canadian economy to create the thriving conditions needed by workers and their communities across the country,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President.
“The 2024 budget is an opportunity to put workers at the heart of today’s massive transformations, to grow our economy and create the good, sustainable jobs of the future.”
The union recommends implementing robust public services and programs, such as permanent Employment Insurance (EI) reform to support workers when they need it.
The federal government should develop industrial strategies for Canada’s major economic sectors, such as auto and manufacturing, energy, mining, forestry, transit, and transportation.
Protecting forestry workers, creating a national public transit strategy, and investing in public passenger rail, such as VIA Rail’s High Frequency Rail project between Quebec City and Toronto, are on the list.
Unifor is seeking specific improvements to working conditions in cargo rail and in air and road transportation. In addition, the federal government must do more to protect journalists from harassment, save local news, and to prevent further erosion of good jobs in telecommunications.
The union has made a number of recommendations to a broad range of issues to improve access to health and dental care for all Canadians.
