Category: News

Adrian Soldera, First Vice President of the Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC), delivers a passionate and urgent address to workers and community members across British Columbia. He focuses heavily on the critical crossroads facing BC’s vital forestry sector, highlighting how forestry has historically shaped local towns, families, and regional economies for generations, but is now under immense pressure due to mill closures, worker displacement, and ongoing economic instability across the interior and Vancouver Island.

Soldera calls for a fundamental shift in how the province manages and values its most precious resource, its forests. This includes ending the export of raw logs, pointing out that while BC exported over $11 billion in wood products in 2022, far too many of those shipments consisted of unprocessed logs that drained valuable jobs, innovation, and economic value away from local communities.

Soldera highlights positive regulatory steps, such as requirements for cedar and cypress harvested in BC’s interior to be fully manufactured before export into high-value products like siding, flooring, shingles, and fencing. These regulations have been welcomed by the Independent Wood Processors Association as a crucial step to retain value-added manufacturing and keep forestry jobs at home.

Soldera also addresses proposals to close loopholes that permit minimally processed wood to leave the province, arguing that ending raw log exports entirely is essential for protecting both forests and livelihoods.

He emphasizes that supporting forestry means prioritizing the people who depend on it, ensuring that economic benefits remain within local communities through investments in modern mills, responsible forest management, and resilient, innovative practices that secure sustainable jobs for future generations.

Sign the Petition Here

We, the undersigned, call on workers, union members, and supporters across Canada to stand together and demand the immediate removal of proposed restrictions on the right to strike in Bill C-39.

The Federal Government’s Bill C-39 proposes alarming changes to Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code. If passed, it would grant the Minister of Labour unprecedented, broad powers to unilaterally end legal strikes, enforce interim contract extensions, and impose binding arbitration based on broad criteria like “economic impact” or “social disruption.”

Legal analysis shows that Bill C-39 would give the federal government the broadest strike intervention powers in the entire G7.

The right to strike is not a luxury. It is the ultimate foundation of collective bargaining, and a vital tool that enables working people to negotiate fair wages, safer working conditions, and reasonable benefits on equal footing with powerful employers. When governments can step in and shut down legal strikes at will, employers lose every incentive to bargain in good faith at the negotiating table.

In 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada affirmed that the right to strike is constitutionally protected under Section 2(d) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Bill C-39 undermines this constitutional guarantee, tipping the scales decisively in favor of corporate interests at the expense of everyday workers. Canada’s economic strength should never be built by eroding the fundamental rights of its workforce. A right you are forbidden to exercise is no right at all.

We call on the Federal Government and all Members of Parliament to:

1. Remove all strike-intervention provisions and changes to Section 107 from Bill C-39.
2. Respect the constitutional right to strike and protect free collective bargaining in Canada.
3. Commit to fair negotiation processes that honor the dignity and legal rights of working people rather than overriding them.

Stand with Canadian workers today by signing and sharing this petition to send a powerful message to Parliament, and demand that lawmakers safeguard our constitutional Charter rights, protect workers, and the right to free collective bargaining and the right to strike.

Download and Print Out the Poster

On September 30, the Confederation of Canadian Unions (CCU/CSC) joins workers across the country in observing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, widely recognized as Orange Shirt Day. This solemn day honours the survivors of the residential school system, remembers the thousands of children stolen from their families, and reflects on the generational impacts of state-sponsored assimilation policies in Canada.

The orange shirt serves as a poignant symbol of the culture, dignity, and autonomy stripped away from Indigenous children over generations. Observing this day is an essential pledge toward active justice, education, and solidarity with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.

Since its founding in 1969 as an independent and democratic labour federation, the CCU has consistently maintained that trade unionism is fundamentally intertwined with social justice and human rights. Over the decades, the federation and its affiliated unions have championed Indigenous rights both in the workplace and across broader society.

Union delegates have repeatedly passed policy resolutions demanding meaningful government action, like advocating for the settlement of land claims, treaty recognition, and immediate investments to resolve long-standing water advisories and housing crises in Indigenous communities. Furthermore, Canadian labour advocates continue to urge full federal implementation of the recommendations from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).

True reconciliation requires structural accountability. Organized labour holds a vital responsibility to help dismantle colonial legacies by pushing for fair employment practices, enforcing equitable wages, eradicating workplace discrimination, and ensuring Indigenous voices guide decisions affecting their traditional territories.

Every year, the CCU calls on its affiliated members and all workers to go beyond symbolic gestures. Meaningful solidarity requires continuous learning, supporting Indigenous-led organizations, attending local commemorative events, and advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action.

By wearing orange, listening to the lived experiences of survivors, and pushing for policy reforms, CCU members and working people across Canada reaffirm their commitment to walking alongside Indigenous peoples in the ongoing movement toward equity, healing, and lasting justice.

The Confederation of Canadian Unions provides annual bursaries of $1,000 for dependent children of members of unions belonging to the CCU/CSC for the purpose of furthering their post-secondary education.

Deadline: October 20, 2026

Apply Here

The draw to select the winners will take place on Friday, October 23, 2026. The successful applicants will then be notified by email shortly after and asked to provide the following: Proof of post-secondary enrolment (an official transcript, or a confirmation of enrolment letter issued by the Registrar), and a 500-1000 word essay on the topic “What Does Unionism Mean to Me?”

Applicants eligible for the $1,000 bursaries are those who are ‘attending a post secondary school’ and MUST be ‘dependent children’ of members of unions belonging to ‘affiliates’ of the CCU/CSC.

The award will be paid out shortly after the requested information has been received. ONLY the successful applicants are required to submit the documentation listed above. Do not submit an essay with the application. If not received on or before the posted deadline, alternate recipients will be selected.

Joining a union goes far beyond the workplace. It creates a true community, strengthens democracy, and gives every worker a powerful voice.

Discover how being part of the Nova Scotia Union of Public and Private Employees can completely transform your working life. From securing higher pay and comprehensive benefits to improving overall working conditions, unions provide the foundation needed to build a stable and prosperous future for you and your family.

Key Benefits of Joining a Union:

* A Collective Voice: Ensure your opinions are heard and take part in important conversations with your colleagues about the changes you want to see.

* Better Compensation: Enjoy fairer wages, improved job security, and enhanced benefits packages.

* Empowering Young Workers: Provide the next generation of workers with an avenue to advocate for their rights and improve their occupational environments.

* Community Support: Build lasting connections and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow workers who share your goals and values.

If you are concerned about your current working conditions or want to help build a fairer workplace, it’s time to stand up and get involved. Together, we can advocate for worker rights and build a better future for everyone.

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