What must we do? Work and livelihood in Canada's Future

Que faut-il faire ? Le travail et les moyens de subsistance dans l'avenir du Canada

Image courtesy of Canadian Labour Congress website / Image du site web du Congrès du travail du Canada

Addition to the post, March 16, 2025:

In the original post, below, we highlighted the Canadian Labour Congress’ overview of what is needed by way of immediate and future policy on behalf of workers, their families and their communities. We numbered the many points for ease of discussion.

We now draw attention to the demands of the CLC in a very recent latter sent to the new Prime Minister of what needs to happen immediately and before any election. For a summary in a news release, see “Canada’s unions to Carney: Protect workers from job losses and uncertainty,” (March 11). You can read the whole letter here.

The CLC letter does not address the specific question of whether new legislation is needed or, as the former PM Trudeau seems to have claimed, that such a massive range of changes could be done purely by executive regulatory action. However, if PM Carney’s reported plans (to call an election to start as early as the end of this week) are true, then the issue of legislation versus executive action during the election period would be moot because our constitutional convention of a government acting only in a “caretaker” mode during an election means that such sweeping changes during an election would be a contravention of this convention.

Common introduction to each post in the “CANADA’S FUTURE,” “What must we do?” series of posts

On March 8, the Pledge emailed via Substack its first newsletter (called “Canada’s Future”) to the full list of supporters of the Pledge who also opted in to email updates (70,000 of you in total, at present). That newsletter is simultaneously a “post” (or, “article”) also called “Canada’s Future,” located on this Pledge website on Substack.

The “Canada’s Future” newsletter-article set out some observations and arguments about this historical moment in which we find ourselves and then asks Pledge supporters to engage on the Pledge’s Substack platform about what we must do to secure our future, to secure a Canada we want:

Make no mistake, Canadians will build a better Canada. There’s no shortage of ideas. What’s needed is a grand and diverse coalition of Canadians ready to do their part and to push their governments to work together and rise to the challenge.

We are including for your consideration several articles that try to sketch out an agenda for a less dependent, more resilient and just Canada. There is some overlap, some disagreement, some gaps [amongst theme].

Clicking on any given link [found in the “Canada’s Future” article] takes you to a post on the Pledge’s website…. From there, you can link to further information. The purpose is to launch a conversation amongst Pledge supporters.

You can comment/reply to posts by clicking on an icon that resembles a cartoon speech bubble at both the top and bottom of the post. You may choose to comment, and thereby participate in online dialogue, on any or all of the linked posts below.

This is one of six posts that connect back to the “Canada’s Future” newsletter/article.

Please consider participating!

Work and livelihood: an invitation to discuss this post’s themes with other Pledge supporters

This post’s theme is the world of “labour” with a focus on the current situation and the future for workers in Canada.

But the larger theme is “work and livelihood” and we could well have styled it even more broadly as “work in the future economy” given how the interest of Canadians in jobs, safe and fulfilling work, and supporting their families and communities with their earned income ties into every major debate on how our economy does and should work.

This is clear when one looks at some of the broader policies and measures that the Canadian Labour Congress identified in a compact (6-page) Backgrounder that it put out a short while ago. The Backgrounder was distributed alongside a statement on March 4 made by the CLC President Bea Bruske about the Trump tariff threats.

You can read the brief Backgrounder here.

To facilitate a conversation, we also reproduce below extracts from the Backgrounder— those passages that contain specific proposals, to help make discussion easier. The original CLC document uses bullet points only, but we have given numbers to each point to facilitate reference to them in discussion amongst Pledge supporters.

Are some – whether immediate-term or longer-term – most important and need prioritization come what way? Conversely, which don’t you think are the most important and why?

Are there any of these proposals that you would drop, and why?

Again, as explained in the “Canada’s Future” post, clicking on the speech bubble icon at the top and bottom of the post is how you can make a comment. You can then reply to others’ comments. Please try to abide by two principles as expressed in Substack’s community guidelines for publications like the Pledge. They are expressed as applying to “writers” but the Pledge extends that notion to everyone commenting in threads on Pledge articles/posts.

1. Be kind to each other. Substack is founded on the belief that writers and their work deserve respect. Keep conversations civil in the comments of this publication and other Substack community spaces, such as events. Respect one other’s perspectives and life experiences in your conversations, and refrain from cruel or derogatory language.

2. Stay on-topic. We want this publication to support thoughtful discussion around writers’ work. It is not a place for irrelevant rants or off-topic digressions. That includes spam and repetitive self-promotion.

THE BACKGROUNDER EXTRACTS:

The Clock Is Ticking

1. Canada needs a comprehensive, worker-first strategy to protect jobs, industries, and communities from economic disruption. The government must act urgently to implement strong countermeasures, support impacted workers, and build long-term economic resilience.

2. Now is the time to diversify trade, invest in domestic industries, and strengthen protections for Canadian workers—before the next crisis hits.

Standing United Against U.S. Tariff Threats

We are calling for a comprehensive response that includes:

3. Imposing significant and impactful tariffs to ensure the U.S. administration feels the consequences of its actions.

4. Cutting off U.S. access to critical Canadian resources when tariffs are applied—including electricity, lumber, critical minerals, oil, and gas—until the tariffs are lifted.

5. Immediate implementation of supports for impacted workers through financial assistance, job protection measures, EI enhancements and transition programs.

6. A long-term strategy to reduce Canada’s reliance on U.S. trade, expanding our economic partnerships and diversifying markets to protect workers from future foreign policy disruptions.

7. Emergency EI Can Be Implemented Today – The Canada Employment Insurance Commission (CEIC) has the legal authority to roll out special EI measures right now—no new legislation, no bureaucratic delays. No Time to Wait – Waiting four months for EI enhancements is negligence.

8. Protect Public Services and Jobs – Tariffs will hit workers hard—now is the worst time to cut public services that workers depend on and which anchor our local economies. The government must reverse and stop all cuts to public services now when Canadians need them most.

9. We Need a Long-Term Plan – To shield workers from foreign trade and policy risks, Canada must invest in its industries and workforce. Strong domestic investment is the key to long-term stability, good jobs, and economic growth.

Employment Insurance (EI) Changes Needed:

10. Income support must be targeted to workers in trade-exposed industries and communities, but also broad-based to respond to cascading job losses and a potentially deep and prolonged economic downturn.

11. Ease EI access and improve benefits at the level of the COVID-19 EI measures or higher:

12. The Canada Employment Insurance Commission (CEIC) has the legal authority to implement emergency EI measures immediately as a temporary pilot—no new legislation or delays required.

13. The government has already analyzed and cost every instance of EI special measures introduced in the past 20 years, meaning implementation could be immediate.

14. Ottawa should reinstate the COVID-19 special EI measures, establishing a minimum national unemployment rate of 13.1%. It should ensure workers receive at least 52 weeks of EI benefits, with the best 12 weeks of earnings used to calculate benefit rates.

15. Provide a 300-hour credit to reduce the threshold for accessing EI Regular and Special Benefits to 120 hours.

16. Extend EI benefits by 50 additional weeks for current claimants— particularly urgent for auto workers already on EI due to plant retooling in Ontario.

17. Temporarily set the minimum EI benefit at $500 per week or higher to ensure workers can meet basic needs.

18. Expand employer EI top-ups (Supplemental Unemployment Benefit [SUB] plans) to help workers maintain 90% of their regular earnings.

19. For workers without SUB plans, raise the EI maximum insurable earnings threshold and establish a 90% benefit rate for long-tenured, high-wage workers experiencing layoffs.

20. These measures are critical to protecting workers impacted by U.S. tariffs and should be implemented without delay.

Measures to Preserve Industrial Capacity, Plants, and Jobs:

21. Emergency Furlough Program: Implement a targeted furlough program to keep workers employed during downturns, ensuring better design, accountability, and oversight than the previous Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS).

22. Stronger Protections for Manufacturing Workers: Require companies planning full or partial plant closures to provide advance notice to unions, workers, and the government before removing machinery, tools, and dies. Companies must first explore alternative production options before shutting down operations.

23. Rapid-Response Intervention: Establish a fast-tracked government response system to intervene when companies announce closures, assessing conversion opportunities and alternative production options to save jobs and capacity.

24. Financial Support for Plant Conversion: Provide immediate funding for feasibility studies and pilot projects to support retooling and alternative production plans, helping plants pivot to new industries and preserve jobs.

25. Reform Procurement Rules: Federal contracts should be awarded to competitive bids from unionized employers rather than given without tender. This ensures fair competition while supporting good, union jobs.

26. Review and Cancel Non-Canadian Contracts: Where possible, cancel existing contracts awarded to foreign firms (e.g., F-35, Polaris) and redirect investments to Canadian industries and workers.

27. Pause or Remove the Luxury Tax: The poorly designed Select Luxury Goods Tax announced in Budget 2021 threatens Canada’s aerospace industry and up to 40,000 good jobs, just as threatened tariffs increase economic pressure on aerospace manufacturing. The tax should be suspended or eliminated to protect workers and businesses.

Enhancing and Targeting Community Supports:

28. Protect Public Services and Jobs: Public services are essential in supporting workers and communities impacted by tariffs. The government must reverse and halt any cuts to public services to ensure these services remain strong and accessible during economic uncertainty.

29. Expand Public Sector Employment: Establish job creation programs like a ‘Winter Works’ fund to help municipalities create jobs in parks, recreation, building maintenance and inspection, and other public services, providing employment in hard-hit communities.

30. Strengthen Workforce Retraining: Rapidly expand the Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative to support workers transitioning to new jobs and increase funding for community and social assistance programs.

31. Increase Targeted Funding for Essential Services: Provide additional, targeted funding for health care, education, municipal services, and social programs in the hardest-hit communities. These provincial-level investments will reinforce federal economic stimulus efforts.

32. Support Small Business and Self-Employment: Enhance support for small business start-ups and provide resources for displaced workers exploring self- employment opportunities.

Relief for Hard-Hit Families and Borrowers:

33. Prevent Defaults and Repossessions: Prohibit banks and lenders from initiating defaults or repossessions in communities most impacted by economic downturns.

34. Mandatory Loan Relief: Require financial institutions to renegotiate loan terms, offer payment holidays, and provide relief for mortgages, vehicle loans, credit cards, and consumer debt.

35. Homeowner Assistance Fund: Establish a direct financial aid program to help at-risk homeowners cover mortgage payments, property taxes, and insurance premiums, similar to the COVID-era support program.

36. Expanded Mortgage Relief Measures: Temporarily strengthen and enforce the Guidelines on Existing Consumer Mortgage Loans in Exceptional Circumstances, including:

• Waiving prepayment penalties and internal fees

• Prohibiting interest-on-interest charges

• Encouraging financial institutions to implement comprehensive mortgage relief options

37. Protect Worker Pensions: Ensure provincial pension funds, along with federal and provincial governments, are prepared to backstop pensions in cases where employers face insolvency or pension wind-up deficiencies.

Longer-Term Actions:

Strengthening Canada's Economic Resilience

38. Diversify Trade Partnerships: Reduce reliance on the U.S. by accelerating the development of new global markets and expanding trade relationships.

39. Invest in Critical Infrastructure: Make bold investments in rail, roads, ports, and transportation to support trade diversification and strengthen supply chains.

40. Grow Domestic Industries and Jobs: Drive strategic investments in affordable housing construction, modular housing manufacturing, infrastructure, green energy, and the care sector to create stable, inward-focused employment.

41. Build a Strong, Pro-Worker Industrial Strategy: Develop and implement policies that expand Canada's industrial base, encourage innovation, and support good, unionized jobs.

42. Strengthen Value-Added Industries: Shift away from exporting raw and semi-processed goods by expanding downstream industries that create higher-value products and sustain long-term economic growth.

43. Implement a Border Carbon Adjustment (BCA): Fast-track the development of a Canadian BCA to level the playing field in trade, protect Canadian industries, and support climate goals.

“Buy Canadian” – Public Purchasing for Canadian Industrial Development:

44. Systematically develop capacity to generate more ‘Made-in-Canada' goods and services to supply a ‘Buy Canadian’ initiative. Require the use of Canadian-made steel in public infrastructure projects to ensure the long-term health of the Canadian steel industry.

45. Further leverage the use of lower-emission Canadian-made steel in public and private construction projects through low-carbon purchasing requirements using a Buy Clean model.

~~~~

Introduction commune à chaque article de la série « L'AVENIR DU CANADA » > « Que devons-nous faire ? > « Que devons-nous faire ?

Le 8 mars, l'Engagement a envoyé par Substack son premier bulletin d'information complet (intitulé « L'avenir du Canada ») à la liste complète des partisans de l'Engagement qui ont également choisi de recevoir des mises à jour par courriel (70 000 d'entre vous au total, à l'heure actuelle). Cette lettre d'information est en même temps un « post » (ou « article ») également appelé « L'avenir du Canada », situé sur ce site Web de Substack.

Le bulletin-article « L'avenir du Canada » présente quelques observations et arguments sur le moment historique dans lequel nous nous trouvons et demande ensuite aux partisans de l'Engagement de s'engager sur la plateforme Substack de l'Engagement sur ce que nous devons faire pour assurer notre avenir, pour assurer un Canada que nous voulons :

Ne vous y trompez pas, les Canadiens construiront un Canada meilleur. Les idées ne manquent pas. Ce qu'il faut, c'est une grande coalition diversifiée de Canadiens prêts à faire leur part et à pousser leurs gouvernements à travailler ensemble et à relever le défi.

Nous soumettons à votre examen plusieurs articles qui tentent d'esquisser un programme pour un Canada moins dépendant, plus résilient et plus juste. Il y a des chevauchements, des désaccords et des lacunes [entre les articles].

En cliquant sur un lien donné [dans le bulletin-article « L'avenir du Canada »], vous accédez à un article sur le site web de l'Engagement .... À partir de là, vous pouvez accéder à des informations complémentaires. L'objectif est de lancer une conversation entre les partisans de l'Engagement.

Vous pouvez commenter/répondre aux articles en cliquant sur une icône qui ressemble à une bulle de dialogue en haut et en bas de l'article. Vous pouvez choisir de commenter, et donc de participer au dialogue en ligne, sur l'un ou l'autre ou sur l'ensemble des articles liés ci-dessous.

Il s'agit de l'un des sept articles qui renvoient au bulletin d'information / article « L'avenir du Canada ».

N'hésitez pas à y participer !

Travail et moyens de subsistance : une invitation à discuter des thèmes de cet article avec d'autres partisans de l'Engagement

Le thème de cet article est le monde du « travail » et se concentre sur la situation actuelle et l'avenir des travailleurs au Canada.

Mais le thème général est « le travail et les moyens de subsistance » et nous aurions pu l'intituler encore plus largement « le travail dans l'économie de demain », étant donné que l'intérêt des Canadiens pour l'emploi, un travail sûr et épanouissant, et le soutien de leurs familles et de leurs communautés grâce à leurs salaires, est présent dans tous les grands débats sur la manière dont notre économie fonctionne et devrait fonctionner.

Cela apparaît clairement lorsqu'on examine certaines des politiques et mesures plus générales que le Congrès du travail du Canada a identifiées dans un Document d'Information compact (6 pages) qu'il a publié il y a peu de temps. Le Document a été distribué en même temps qu'une déclaration faite le 4 mars par la présidente du CTC, Bea Bruske, au sujet des menaces de tarifs douaniers de Trump. [https://canadianlabour.ca/statement-from-bea-bruske-president-of-the-canadian-labour-congress-on-trumps-tariff-attack-on-canada/]

Pour faciliter la discussion, nous reproduisons également ci-dessous des extraits du document d'information - les passages qui contiennent des propositions spécifiques, afin de faciliter la discussion. Le document original du CTC n'utilise que des puces, mais nous avons donné des numéros à chaque point pour faciliter la référence dans les discussions entre les partisans de l'Engagement.

L'ensemble des propositions du CTC est-il à la fois nécessaire et réalisable ? Certaines d'entre elles - qu'elles soient immédiates ou à plus long terme - sont-elles plus importantes et doivent-elles être classées par ordre de priorité ? Comment devrions-nous envisager le tableau d'ensemble dans lequel s'inscrivent les propositions du CTC ?

Encore une fois, comme expliqué dans l'article « L'avenir du Canada », vous pouvez faire un commentaire en cliquant sur l'icône de la bulle de dialogue en haut et en bas de l'article. Vous pouvez ensuite répondre aux commentaires des autres.

Veuillez vous efforcer de respecter deux principes énoncés dans les directives communautaires de Substack pour des publications telles que le Pledge. Elles s'appliquent aux « écrivains », mais le Pledge étend cette notion à tous ceux qui commentent les fils de discussion sur les articles de l'Engagement.

A. Soyez gentils les uns envers les autres. Substack est fondé sur la conviction que les écrivains et leur travail méritent le respect. Les conversations doivent rester courtoises dans les commentaires de cette publication et dans les autres espaces communautaires de Substack, tels que les événements. Respectez les points de vue et les expériences de vie de chacun dans vos conversations et abstenez-vous de tout langage cruel ou désobligeant.

B. Restez dans le sujet. Nous voulons que cette publication soutienne des discussions réfléchies sur le travail des écrivains. Il ne s'agit pas d'un lieu pour des diatribes hors de propos ou des digressions hors sujet. Cela inclut le spam et l'autopromotion répétitive.

[Nous cherchons à vérifier s'il existe une version française du document d'information. Pour l'instant, seuls les extraits en anglais ci-dessus sont disponibles].