Union group to advise Canada government on automation, changing labour market
Ottawa has officially launched the Union-Led Advisory Table, which would advise the federal government on pressing issues facing workers.
The advisory table will provide recommendations to the government on how best to support workers affected by economic change and automation, with a focus on supporting skilled, mid-career workers in at-risk sectors and jobs.
“With the rapidly changing nature of work, workers need to be involved to find the best way forward to ensure that Canadians are equipped and ready to seize the opportunities that the future will bring,” says Randy Boissonnault, minister of employment, workforce development and official languages.
“The Union-Led Advisory Table will advise the government on concrete actions needed to build an agile workforce that can find and keep good, well-paying jobs.”
Numerous workers’ unions have held strikes all over the country this year.
Advisory consultation, report
The advisory table will seek input from stakeholders and subject matter experts to formulate recommendations to improve workplace and conditions for Canada’s workforce.
It will complete its work late next year and will share its findings with the ministers soon after.
“Workers power the Canadian economy. They are the heart of our nation’s services, health care, manufacturing and resource delivery, and that’s not all. It is vital that workers are leading the way forward to ensure that Canada has the skills and labour to realize the economic opportunities of today and tomorrow,” says Bea Bruske, chair of the Union-Led Advisory Table and president of the Canadian Labour Congress.
“I look forward to working with the ministers and other labour leaders to help chart a course for a prosperous future that works.”
Ottawa previously banned the use of replacement workers during municipal worker strikes.
The other members of the Union-Led Advisory Table are:
- Mariam Abou-Dib, executive director, Teamsters Canada
- Rob Ashton, president, International Longshore & Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU-Canada)
- Bert Blundon, president, National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)
- Patrick Campbell, Canadian regional director, International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE)
- David Chartrand, Canadian general vice-president, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW)
- Roxanne Dubois, director of strategic planning, Unifor
- Meg Gingrich, assistant to the national director, United Steel Workers (USW)
- Mark Hancock, National President, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
- Julien Laflamme, political advisor to the executive committee, Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN)
- Magali Picard, president, Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ)
- Linda Silas, president, Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU)
- Sharleen Stewart, president, SEIU Healthcare
- Sean Strickland, executive director, Canada's Building Trades Unions (CBTU)
- Matt Wayland, Canadian director of government relations, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)