People's trade town hall - Hamilton
This is a community town hall to discuss an issue that impacts all of us – trade. Everyone is welcome to join the conversation as Unifor re-imagines what a People’s Trade agenda might look like.
Hear from Maude Barlow, Council of Canadians Honorary Chairperson
Canadians deserve to have a voice in the development of trade policy. We need to set the rules for what trade should achieve and how trade should work for us - not just for corporations. Join us for an important community conversation as we discuss and develop a People’s Trade Agenda, together.
Ingersoll town hall debates people's trade agenda
The first of what is planned to be several town halls across Canada over the coming year was held recently in Ingersoll, Ontario to discuss NAFTA and Canada's approach to trade negotiations. It was the first step in establishing a people's agenda for trade in Canada.
Canada hosts closed-door TPP meetings
Unifor joined with a coalition of progressive groups to condemn attempts to revive the Trans-Pacific Partnership without the United States, including hosting meeting a meeting in Toronto of participating countries. "We were told we had to be in the TPP because the U.S. was in it. Now, the U.S. is out," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. "Why would we revive a trade deal that was so bad for Canadian workers and communities?" For more details, click here.
Senate told to reject CETA
Unifor National President Jerry Dias told a Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs that rather than review how to implement CETA, they should reject the deal - saying there has never been a proper review, and that there have been too many changes since a partial text was first released. For more information, click here.
CETA fight continues despite ratification
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) remains a bad deal for workers in both Canada and Europe, despite ratification by the European Union, and the fight to oppose full implementation will continue. For more details, click here.
Trade deals must help workers
Speaking to a visiting delegation of Danish parliamentarians, Unifor Ontario Regional Director Naureen Rizvi said that trade deals that put a higher priority on the desires of big companies or corporations than the needs of citizens tend to result in a race to the bottom, and warned against rapid CETA ratification. For more details, click here.
Unifor makes CETA submission
Unifor made a written submission to the Standing Committee on International Trade (CIIT) hearings into Bill C-30 to implement the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union, telling the committee that there has never been a proper review of the full text of the deal - and that the deal and the circumstance surrounding it have changed dramatically since it was first announced. For the full submission, click here.
TPP consultations extended again
As Unifor activists began their lobby of MPs on the TPP, news came that the deadline for public consultations has been extended.
The House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade announced that public submissions on the deal can now be made until until January 27, 2017. The deadline had been October 31.
This is the third time consultations have been extended. The original deadline was April 30, which was initially extended to June 30, before being extended a second time to October 31.
Unifor goes to Ottawa to meet MPs
As public consultations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership come to a close, Unifor is in Ottawa to meet with MPs and urge them to vote against ratifying the TPP, and to start building a Fair Trade Future.
The work started early, with politicians and Parliamentary staff waking up on Halloween to radio and newspaper ads telling them Unifor was in town. Meetings are planned for the entire week. Stay tuned for updates.
Fight against TPP ramps up with concert and teach-in
Unifor members from across the country attended a teach-in recently to share information and strategies on the fight against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, before hitting the streets for a mass postering action in Federal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland’s riding. The night before, the Rock Against the TPP tour made its only stop in Canada. For details, click here.
TPP review too short and too shallow
Canadians need and deserve a thorough and independent review of the Trans-Pacific Partnership before our federal government considers whether to ratify the deals, which is still the subject of public consultations. A review from the Office of the Chief Economist, however, falls far short of the mark, Unifor National President Jerry Dias says. Read his full commentary here.
New report says auto at risk with TPP
The Trans-Pacific Partnership, if ratified, would put the Canadian automotive industry at risk, undermining the competitiveness of Canada’s assembly and small and medium-sized auto parts plants, a new study from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives concludes. For more information, click here.
Unifor at TPP rally and town hall
Unifor’s campaign to stop ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal ramped up in Toronto on June 15 with a community rally and Town Hall that featured National President Jerry Dias. To read the complete story, click here.
TPP campaign ramps up with regional coordinators
Unifor’s campaign on the Trans-Pacific Partnership ramped up this week with a training session for regional coordinators from across Canada who will spend the summer building the union’s top campaign.
Rally gives voice to citizens
As the federal hearings into the Trans-Pacific Partnership came through Toronto, stopping at luxury hotel downtown, activists from across Canadian society gathered outside to let the politicians know how the deal would hurt them.
Windsor TPP rally held as Unifor testifies
More than 150 people gathered outside federal government hearings into the Trans-Pacific Partnership in Windsor this morning, urging the new Liberal government not to sign the deal.
TPP rallies planned outside May 12 and May 13 hearings
Unifor will be participating in two rallies May 12 and May 13 outside consultations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal as the federal government's trade committee visits Windsor and Toronto.
The Parallel People's Trade Hearings will give voice to those whose lives will be affected by the TPP, but cannot get into the hearings themselves.
"Our new government has said it wants to hear from as many Canadians as possible, so we will make sure more voices are heard than can get into the hearings themselves,"said Roland Kiehne, Unifor's Director of Member Mobilization and Political Action.
Unifor launches TPP campaign
Unifor launched one of its largest national campaigns at the recent Prairie Council, with a simple message to the federal government: Trade the TPP.
TPP consultations begin
Unifor was out in force as TPP consultations began in Vancouver on April 18, taking part in an Open Media organized rally outside the hotel where the consultations were taking place. A big Jumbotron was set up outside the hotel, broadcasting messages about the TPP, including several from Unifor National President Jerry Dias and regional directors. To see what appeared on the Jumbotron, click here.
Unifor joins Let's Talk TPP
Unifor has become a partner in the Let's Talk TPP campaign, joining other progressive groups across Canada concerned about the deeply flawed deal. Join the conversation now by clicking here and sending a message to the Trade Minister and the Trade Committee.
Freeland signs the TPP
Federal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland signed the TPP at a ceremony in New Zealand, a move she said does "not equal ratifying." The Liberal government has committed to holding public consultations on the deal before it is put to a ratification vote by MPs. Ratification must be held before February 2018. Unifor pledged to be active in the coming debate on the TPP.