Ontario Construction News staff writer
Several of Canada’s key labour groups are calling on Ottawa to focus on workers as the country prepares for the mandatory 2026 review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
Union leaders recently met with Dominic Le Blanc, the federal minister overseeing Canada-U. S. trade and intergovernmental affairs, for what they described as an important roundtable discussion regarding the future of CUSMA amidst escalating trade tensions and renewed threats of U. S. tariffs.
Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, stated that unions sent a “clear and urgent message” indicating that Canada should not agree to a revised trade deal that weakens domestic industries or threatens Canadian jobs.
“Any deal that undermines Canadian jobs or weakens Canada’s ability to build its own economy would be worse than no deal at all,” Bruske said in a statement after the meeting. “The United States has increasingly abandoned the rules-based trading system, using trade pressure to weaken workers, destabilize supply chains, and advantage corporations.
“Canada must respond from a position of strength, not concession, and refuse to sacrifice workers to appease U. S. demands.”
Bruske was joined by leaders from various large manufacturing and building trades unions representing sectors significantly impacted by trade policy decisions, including auto manufacturing, construction and resource-based industries.
The unions cautioned the federal government against repeating past mistakes in trade negotiations, arguing that domestic production and industrial capacity have been eroded due to sectoral tariffs and trade concessions. They highlighted ongoing U. S. tariffs on industries such as automotive manufacturing and softwood lumber which continue to cost Canadian jobs and strain local economies.
The Canadian Labour Congress is urging Ottawa to adopt a “workers-first” approach in trade talks that safeguards regulatory space for industrial policy while strengthening domestic manufacturing and enhancing supply-chain resilience. Labour leaders also emphasized that Canada needs to protect its ability to invest in future industries without allowing trade rules to undermine wages, public services or workers’ rights.
At the negotiation table, unions insisted Canada should demand strong enforceable labour protections, including increased utilization of CUSMA’s Rapid Response Mechanism for addressing alleged labour rights violations across North America.
The labour representatives also urged the government to involve unions directly in negotiations since workers and their representatives possess valuable practical knowledge about the industries most affected by trade policies.
The unified message from unions was clear: this upcoming CUSMA review should aim at strengthening Canadian industries and working-class communities rather than “hollowing them out” while rushing to renew the agreement.
Source link
Source link
