91Ô­´´

A commentary by the president of the Victoria Labour Council. 

Labour Day is one of the most important days on our calendar. The unofficial end to summer and a day to mark the history of working people in Canada. This year, it feels like there is little to celebrate and yet much to hope for.

The COVID-19 crisis has been very hard for workers across the country. From those that have lost their jobs, to those who kept working to provide services to us, to those who have lost loved ones, very few workers have been left untouched by the pandemic.

We already knew that workers in Canada were struggling to make ends meet, often living paycheque to paycheque. Even before COVID-19 hit, almost 50 per cent of 91Ô­´´s said they were $200 away from insolvency. Since the beginning of this pandemic, nearly six million people have applied for COVID-19 emergency benefits.

Canada’s unions have been working collaboratively, brainstorming, and spending time thinking about what comes next. We need a robust economy, built around a fair, generous and inclusive society. We need to rally together to ensure no one is left behind.

This Labour Day, we won’t be coming together in person, but workers are nonetheless organizing for a better society. We can build better communities with a strong, sustainable and inclusive recovery plan that centres on workers.

Canada’s unions are calling on all levels of government to replace lost jobs with better ones by hiring people to build green infrastructure, to educate our youth, to care for others — and to give workers paid sick leave and a living wage.

We need to strengthen of public health care to include mental health, pharmacare and home care, and an end to privatization in the long-term care sector. We need reforms to employment insurance, disability benefits, education and training, as well as pensions to make all of these more secure and reliable.

We must reject American-style cuts, austerity and the me-first politics of the United States. After all, the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us a very important lesson: Canada’s economic, health and social goals are inseparable. It’s time to disaster-proof our nation.

So, this year on Labour Day, instead of joining rallies across the country, let us rally for a Canada that moves us collectively forward, together. Join the movement at 91Ô­´´Plan.ca.