Western Regional Director Recommendation #1
Protect Canadian Jobs – Holding Government to Account
Therefore, I recommend Prairie Regional Council:
- Oppose the federal government’s rapid push to diversify trade by signing more ‘free trade agreements’, including with countries such as India. Any negotiations must be subject to close public scrutiny, must protect and enforce workers’ rights, and must not come at the expense of Canadian jobs.
- Urge the federal government to focus attention on resolving the U.S. trade dispute. As Canada heads into the CUSMA review, the government must be prepared to walk away from the accord if confronted by extreme concessionary demands from the U.S.
- Demand provincial governments across the Prairie Region guard workplaces and critical assets against any new wave of Trump’s tariffs, as well as directly invest in strategic industrial capacity and push back against corporate efforts to offshore or relocate work.
- Promote Unifor’s Protect Canadian Jobs campaign demands across all provincial governments in the Prairie Region, as well all local union members and community allies, including:
- Requiring companies that sell in Canada to build in Canada, including establishing strong and coordinated Buy Canadian policies for metals, transit, forestry, energy, etc. and using every legal tool to stop the offshoring of Canadian jobs.
- Supporting coordinated and sector-specific industrial strategies with clear targets to reinforce Canada's industrial base and worker input to prioritize job quality and protect good jobs in every sector.
- Ensuring provincial public dollars go to companies that respect workers’ rights, including requirements for employers to sign ‘union neutrality’ covenants when receiving government contracts.
Western Regional Director Recommendation #2
Workers In Politics – Mobilizing Across the Prairies
Therefore, I recommend:
- That the Prairie Regional Council adopt a comprehensive three-province political action strategy covering Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, with dedicated resources, timelines for action in each province.
- That all Alberta locals immediately begin preparations for the upcoming provincial election, including recruitment and training of member organizers, identification of priority ridings, and participation in the broader coalition opposing Smith's divisive fall referendums — grounded in a message of love for Alberta and love for Canada.
- That the Prairie Regional Council develop and release Unifor's counter-narrative to the Smith referendum campaign, providing locals, activists, and members with materials and messaging to engage their communities with confidence.
- That all Saskatchewan locals work together to present worker demands to the Saskatchewan Labour Advisory Committee and coordinate a structured member lobby campaign before the next Prairie Council targeting Saskatchewan MLAs on minimum wage, health and safety, organizing rights, and support for all of the Saskatchewan crowns and the Unifor members who work there.
- That all Manitoba locals begin early preparation for the 2027 provincial election, including member education on the legislative gains of the Kinew government's first mandate, recruitment of new member organizers, and coalition building to re-elect the NDP majority.
Western Regional Director Recommendation #3
Defend and Transform Canada’s Forestry Sector
Therefore, I recommend:
- That the Prairie Regional Council continue to press federal and provincial ministers urgently for a coordinated Team Canada response across all provinces to the forestry tariff crisis, with particular attention to the pace of income support delivery to affected workers and emergency financial assistance to mills facing curtailment or closure.
- That the Prairie Regional Council continue to demand a national industrial forestry strategy that prioritizes domestic processing, value-added manufacturing, and reduced dependence on the U.S. market, and that connects forestry sector capacity directly to a Made-in-Canada affordable housing strategy using Canadian wood.
- That the Prairie Regional Council continue to sound the alarm publicly and through all available channels — to members, to governments, and to the broader public — that the tariff crisis is worsening and that the pace of government response must accelerate to match the pace of damage.
- That the Prairie Regional Council work in solidarity with Indigenous partners, rural communities, industry stakeholders, and labour allies to ensure workers have a central voice in any forestry transformation strategy — and that no restructuring of the sector comes at the cost of the jobs, communities, and rights of the workers who built it.
Western Regional Director Recommendation #4
Pushing for modern mining safety standards
I therefore recommend the Prairie Regional Council: Friendly Amendment to include all Prairie Provinces
- Work with other industry unions to lobby the Saskatchewan government to strengthen enforcement of the Mines Regulations under the Saskatchewan Employment Act, and to mandate real penalties — not voluntary compliance — when employers are found in violation of mine safety standards; and to ensure the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety's Chief Mines Inspector has the resources, authority, and mandate to inspect, enforce, and penalize proactively rather than reactively.
- Seek legislative, regulatory, and employer‑level changes to require:
- Joint, worker‑informed, system‑focused investigations including worker representatives on investigation teams and publication of redacted findings and corrective action plans;
- A broad, statutory right to refuse unsafe work with clear anti‑retaliation protections, a rapid adjudication process (48–72 hours), and mandated interim protections pending resolution; and
- An independent, statutory 24/7 confidential safety hotline or ombudsperson with case tracking, escalation procedures for unresolved hazards, and public reporting of aggregated trends while protecting whistleblower anonymity.
- Support Local Health & Safety Committees to:
- Develop model statutory and regulatory language as well as employer contract language that incorporates the above demands; and
- Lead a legislative and regulatory advocacy campaign — including meetings with legislators and regulators, coalition building with community and worker groups, and public education to advance these demands; and
- Negotiate for these protections through collective bargaining, including contract language that codifies worker participation in investigations, refusal rights and procedures, interim protections, and employer‑operated or supported confidential reporting pathways where statutory options are unavailable;
Western Regional Director Recommendation #5
Strengthening Health & Safety Through Training
I therefore recommend that the Prairie Regional Council:
- Support Local Unions in conducting workplace safety audits, identifying gaps in training, equipment, and procedures, and advocating for improvements with employers and provincial safety boards.
- Encourage Local Unions to assess the current state of health and safety training and education within their workplaces and commit to enhancing opportunities to raise awareness on health and safety within workplaces and within the membership.
- Advocate for stronger provincial and federal safety standards, including improved worker benefits and prevention measures, to ensure that every worker returns home safe and well.
- Encourage Local Health and Safety Committees to connect with the Prairie Regional Council Health and Safety Standing Committee to push their respective provincial safety boards for improved prevention measures, improved worker benefits, and improved health and safety standards.
Western Regional Director Recommendation #6
Reproductive Rights
To support this campaign, I therefore recommend that:
- The Prairie Regional Council support and participate in the national campaign “Reproductive Justice Now” to support reproductive rights.
- All Local unions support their Women’s Committees and any members who wish to participate in actions targeting provincial and federal governments to broaden access and ensure the Canada Health Act is enforced.
- All Local unions encourage their members to sign onto the Reproductive Justice Now campaign at https://www.unifor.org/campaigns/all-campaigns/reproductive-justice-now. Reproductive rights are fragile, and we must work together to protect and expand access to sexual and reproductive health care.
