Government and Democracy

More focus on effects of U.S. tariffs and global volatility on Canadian jobs needed in Spring Fiscal Update

OTTAWA – The federal government’s spring fiscal update includes a number of important advances including in the area of worker training but presents an overly-optimistic view of Canada’s economic health, as millions of workers face ongoing uncertainty amid U.S. trade tensions, public sector cost-cutting, affordability challenges and global political instability, says Unifor.   

PSW Registry in Ontario: What Unifor members need to know

A PSW registry has opened in Ontario. 

While there have been previous attempts to register PSWs practising in the province, this is the first time the government has used legislation to set the regulatory framework of the designating body. 

The group responsible for the registry is the Health and Supportive Care Providers Oversight Authority (HSCPOA). 

HSCPOA was tasked with:

Unifor MWF Local 1 urges defense committee to keep shipbuilding jobs in Canada

Unifor MWF Local 1 President Travis Farrell delivered a clear message to keep shipbuilding jobs in Canada, as he testified before the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs on Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) in relation to the development of the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS).

“The long-term commitment made by the Government of Canada has given our workers something they didn’t have before, confidence in the future,” Farrell said. “Confidence that if they enter the trades, they are investing in a career.” 

Unifor activists gear up for Alberta's biggest political fights

More than 70 union activists from across Alberta spent three days in Calgary last week, training to knock on doors, engage in campaign conversations with coworkers, and build grassroots activism.

The Labour Votes coalition training, held April 7–9 at the Sheraton Eau Claire Hotel, brought together members from Unifor, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), and the United Steelworkers (USW) for an intensive program covering the political issues facing Alberta workers and the practical skills needed to do something about them.

Unifor attends the General Assembly on Trade Unionism in Quebec

Unifor recently took part in the General Assembly on Trade Unionism, a unique forum for reflection in Quebec that brought together over 500 activists from the province’s main union organizations. The aim of this initiative was to re-examine the role and approach of the labour movement and to identify concrete solutions for dealing with current and future challenges.

Regulating AI and sexually explicit content

Dear Minister Solomon,

We, the undersigned, are writing to express our profound concern about the proliferation of sexually explicit AI-generated content, specifically through tools like xAI’s “Grok”.

Letter to PM Carney RE: VIA Rail Fleet Procurement

The Right Honourable Mark Carney
Prime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2

RE: Canada’s Long Distance, Regional and Remote VIA Rail Fleet Procurement

Dear Prime Minister,

Unifor embarks on urgent Protect Canadian Jobs lobby week in Ottawa

OTTAWA – Unifor leaders from across the country are in Ottawa this week, meeting with more than 75 MPs from all sitting parties to deliver the message to Protect Canadian Jobs

“In the face of U.S. tariffs, everything is on the line for workers in Canada, and we need the federal government and all political parties to match the urgency of this moment,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “We’re ready to deliver a message to protect Canadian jobs, our country’s industrial economy, and defend trade union rights.”