Statement by Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress
In response to the Prime Minister’s pre-budget address
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Carney is right to say that Canada faces uncertainty, but for many workers, that uncertainty is now a reality.
Across the country, workers are being squeezed by an affordability and housing crisis, job losses tied to the ongoing trade war with the United States, and growing anxiety about what AI and automation will mean for their livelihoods. These are not abstract challenges; they’re daily realities for families trying to keep food on the table, pay rent, and build a better life.
The Prime Minister spoke today about “spending less and investing more.” Canada’s unions agree that investment is key — but workers cannot be asked to pay the price through cuts to the public services and supports their families rely on. You don’t build resilience by hollowing out the very systems that help people weather hard times.
If the government is looking for fiscal room, it should start with those who can afford it — the corporations and CEOs who have seen record profits while workers struggle to get ahead. Over the last several years, corporate profit margins have soared, while wage growth has barely kept pace with inflation. Closing tax loopholes, tackling corporate concentration, and ensuring profitable companies pay their fair share are far better choices than cutting the services that workers and their families rely on and keep communities strong and resilient.
Canada’s unions also urge the government to make bold investments that secure good jobs and strengthen our economic foundations — by rebuilding domestic manufacturing, supporting public infrastructure, and developing a climate strategy that delivers for workers as well as the planet. That includes retraining and upskilling programs, industrial policy that rewards employers who create union jobs, and a Just Transition plan that leaves no worker or community behind.
We welcome any effort to invest in sustainable growth and a modern industrial strategy that builds Canadian capacity and strengthens our communities. But those investments must include workers — at the table, not on the sidelines — to ensure they create good, union jobs and secure futures in every region of this country.
Canada’s unions are ready to work with the government to grow our economy through fairness — not austerity. Together, we can build a Canada that works for working people.