News

It’s been a long time since a Canadian Prime Minister has spoken at a major trade union convention, but this week Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the 2nd Unifor Convention in Ottawa. He said all the right things.

Trudeau said the labour movement was ‘a solution, not a problem’ and that his government would be ‘a partner with labour’.

Trudeau was elected last autumn after 10 years of the right-wing, Conservative government of Stephen Harper. Trudeau, a Liberal, has already moved to undo most of the anti-labour legislation enacted by the Harper government as well as endorsing climate change targets set at COP2 in Paris, increasing infrastructure spending and starting to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.

Unifor was created three years ago as a ‘new union’ combining the forces of the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communication, Energy and Paperworkers Union, two of the largest private sector unions in Canada.

Delegates heard other strong speeches from Unifor President Jerry Dias, ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow and the leader of the Canadian Labour Congress Hassan Yussuff. 

UNI was represented by Head of UNI ICTS Alan Tate, a former Unifor member.