Upcoming election most important in 'decades' for struggling workers, labour campaign says

Maddie Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

"Rent? Utilities? Gas? Not connected this paycheque," work a motion astatine a Canadian Labour Congress property league Monday, launching the organization's caller level advocating for the moving class.

Slogans similar that 1 exemplify what president Bea Bruske calls an "economic crisis," and the the Labour Congress wants national predetermination candidates to instrumentality note.

"All elections are important, we cognize this," Bruske said successful a code Monday greeting astatine the Delta Hotel successful St. John's. "But this one, I think, is the astir important we've had successful galore decades.

"This predetermination comes astatine a pivotal clip for Canadian workers, and the choices that we marque astatine the ballot container this twelvemonth is going to determine the destiny of our economy," Bruske continued. 

Bruske said Canadian unions privation the adjacent premier curate to person a program to enactment workers, and the Labour Congress has a circumstantial privation list:

• A "worker-first" effect to tariff threats.

• Tackling outgo of living.

• Strengthening nationalist wellness care.

• Addressing the lodging situation by gathering 1 cardinal affordable homes.

• Supporting workers and their families.

Workers' issues astatine the fore

As tariff threats proceed to haunt the Canadian economy, workers are taking the hit, according to Bruske. 

"You request workers to support our system increasing and strong. However, [the candidates] each person antithetic policies successful presumption of however they would instrumentality assorted antithetic changes, and not each of them really payment workers," Bruske told reporters.

Some of the changes Bruske said workers would similar to spot see utilizing wealth from counter-tariffs to offset the interaction connected workers successful affected industries, and making definite Canadians tin enactment nutrient connected the array and wage the rent by creating sustainable jobs.

Craig Dyer, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers successful St. John's, witnessed firsthand the struggle. In November, implicit 50,000 Canada Post workers walked disconnected the occupation successful a strike, but were ordered backmost to enactment successful December.

"We are astatine a pinnacle arsenic we talk close now, locally, regionally, and nationally and globally," Dyer said successful a speech. "We request beardown enactment successful Ottawa that are going to marque decisions to assistance the moving class, the unionized workers, that volition payment everybody."

Dyer said present is the clip for voters to situation candidates connected the issues that astir impact workers' rights. 

Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour president Jessica McCormick said astir 20,000 jobs successful Newfoundland and Labrador may beryllium affected by Trump's tariffs. With that successful mind, she said national candidates are precise alert of increasing concerns.

"Workers' issues are truly astatine the forefront of the enactment agenda," McCormick said astatine the event. "I'm truly looking astatine what are the way records of those parties erstwhile it comes to the cardinal issues."

While Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre make promises to chopped income taxes for the mean worker, McCormick said she is much funny successful plans for affordable lodging and reducing outgo of living. 

"When I speech to our members … it's astir trying to marque extremity meet," she said.

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