Aboriginal and Workers of Colour

Orange Shirt Day is a reminder of the colonial violence that still haunts survivors and their families today. The Songhees Nation hosted the South Island powwow on September 30 as a show of unity and perseverance. Watch Unifor activists participate in the day's activities.

Unifor members attended the inaugural International Black Health Conference in Halifax, N.S. to discuss strategies for improving access to health care in Black communities across Canada. 

October 4 is a day to honour murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited persons (MMIWG2S) while showing love and support for their families.

Unifor stands united with the families of MMIWG2S and calls on the Trudeau government to place the implementation of the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls at the top of the legislative agenda.

Racial Justice has always been a priority at Unifor.

After two long years of racism exacerbated by the pandemic, Black, Indigenous and Workers of Colour (BIWOC) gathered in Port Elgin to share their trauma.

The three-day BIWOC conference – which took place in-person June 17 to 19, 2022 – had a poignant theme this year: “Practicing radical self-care is an act of activism.”

More than 70 members, staff, and union leadership joined an Education Department webinar about the gender fluid traditions of First Nations. It was coordinated as one of the ways Unifor is celebrating both National Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Pride month.

The session was the fourteenth in the Turtle Island series led by Unifor Indigenous Communities Liaison Gina Smoke.

National Indigenous Peoples’ Day (NIPD) is an important moment to reflect on the varied cultural and artistic heritage of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples and to celebrate these contributions. This year Unifor has partnered with the Aboriginal Peoples’ Television Network to sponsor Indigenous Day Live on June 18, a cultural and artistic show with the theme “Celebrating Our Lands.” The event celebrates gender diversity and the important connection Indigenous women have to the land.

Toronto Police releasing race-based data that affirms Black, Indigenous and people of colour were disproportionately targeted by officers is merely a first step, says Unifor.

The report released Wednesday, June 15, 2022, found that Black residents were more than twice the amount likely to have an “enforcement action” against them and were 230% more likely to have a police officer point a gun at them when they appeared to be unarmed compared to white people.