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Sisters and siblings, March 8 marks International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate our power, our progress, and our solidarity. To mark International Women’s Day 2026, we are proud to adopt the United Nations theme: Rights. Justice. Action.
We champion this theme in celebration of our victories, and in recognition of the critical work needed to ensure gender justice is not eroded. In this work, we honour the legacies of the feminists that came before us and carry their momentum into the fights ahead.
This is a critical moment. The hard-won progress we have made toward equity and equality is being met with organized resistance. Our jobs, our economic security, and our sovereignty are under threat.
In Canada, women are too often disproportionately impacted during times of economic instability. From cuts to public services, to the gender pay gap, there are still systemic barriers where there should be paths to success.
As we face these challenges, we are also confronting a public health crisis that cannot be ignored. Every 48 hours in Canada, a woman loses her life to gender based violence. Unifor remains at the forefront of the fight to demand that every level of government declare Intimate Partner Violence an epidemic.
As feminists and trade unionists, we know that when we raise our voices together, we don’t just ask for change—we make it happen.
Together, we demand:
- Declare Intimate Partner Violence an Epidemic: All levels of government must declare Intimate Partner Violence an epidemic to protect survivors, ensure supports are funded, and force accountability.
- Equal Pay for Equal Work: Fair wages that reflect the true value of work, especially for Black, Indigenous, and women of colour, and women with disabilities who are disproportionately impacted by the pay gap.
- Public Child Care: Every child should have a space in affordable, public child care under our national child care program.
- Good Jobs, Fair Contracts: Fair and freely-bargained collective agreements and good jobs that ensure women have economic independence.
- Real Equity: End discrimination and underrepresentation, ensuring women have a seat at every table where decisions are made.
This International Women’s Day, we are ready to fight for the rights of every worker, demand justice against systemic barriers, and take action for a better future.
In sisterhood & solidarity,
Lana Payne, Unifor National President
