Human Rights

Hon. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario
Room 281, Legislative Building
Queen’s Park
Toronto, ON M7A 1A1

Dear Premier Ford,

RE: Passage of Bill 86, Our London Family Act (Working Together to Combat Islamophobia and Hatred)

There’s still much work to be done.

On March 21, Unifor acknowledges the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It’s not a celebration, though.

On that day in 1960, police officers in the township of Sharpeville, South Africa opened fire on a group of people peacefully protesting oppressive pass laws, killing 69. The anniversary of the massacre is remembered annually with a recommitment for society to end racism in all its forms.

A protester in a truck followed a woman driving her media-branded vehicle homes after covering an anti-mandate protest and endured verbal abuse.

Transit operators were confronted with violence while enforcing rules that all passengers must wear masks onboard.

Guests who refused to follow Covid-19 mandates during their stay harassed hotel workers.

Every year, Unifor observes Human Rights Day on December 10, the day the United Nations General assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

Unifor is a union for everyone, and in doing so, we are asking all members to “Work together for change.”

November 9, 2021

SENT VIA EMAIL
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
@email    

Dear Prime Minister,

On behalf of Unifor, I want to express my extreme disappointment with your government’s decision to appeal the Federal Court’s ruling upholding the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) order regarding First Nations children. 

In order to make change with racial justice, you need not only one voice – but many, from all walks of life.

Unifor, committed to uniting, learning and supporting each other to build a truly anti-racist labour movement and world, has been actively finding solutions on how to make that a reality.

Dozens of Unifor members participated in the webinar “Indian Residential Schools - Effects & Impacts” on September 14, 2021, the tenth in Unifor’s Turtle Island Series.

“Kill the Indian in the Child,” was the goal of the schools said respected Indigenous leader Eva Wilson-Fontaine, who led the discussion along with emcee Gina Smoke, Unifor’s Indigenous Liaison. The 90-minute event provided an unvarnished review of the goals and practices of Canada’s state-sponsored residential school system and the lasting impacts on Indigenous communities today.