Canada's unions to celebrate key victories at national convention in Toronto May 8 to 12

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 5, 2017) - More than 3,000 delegates representing local, regional and national unions from across the country will gather at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from May 8 to May 12 for the CLC's 28^th Constitutional Convention.

Every three years, Canada's unions come together at CLC conventions to celebrate the victories won since the last convention and to set priorities for moving forward. Together, union members will define their vision for Canada and establish a roadmap for getting there.

"Over the last three years, Canada's unions have won some very important victories, such as helping to defeat the former Conservative government, winning stronger public pensions and winning a long overdue ban on asbestos," said CLC President Hassan Yussuff.

Canada's unions are also celebrating other key accomplishments, including:

- Defeating Bills C-377 and C-525, which sought to weaken unions by forcing redundant and unreasonable financial reporting and by making it more difficult for many workers to join unions;

- The federal government's Day of Mourning announcement that it will act to ensure effective enforcement of the Westray Law provisions in the Criminal Code allowing for the criminal prosecution of employers whose negligence puts workers at risk;

- Standing on the front line in the fight against Islamophobia, and having played a key role in helping to welcome and settle Syrian refugees in Canada;

- Making work safer for victims of domestic violence with important research, education, and legislative advances;

- Putting child care on the political agenda, both in the lead-up to the 2015 election and after;

- Helping support the call for an inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls;

- Having helped win better support and protection for Trans people in Canada with the passage of Bill C-16;

- Working for fairness for workers around the world, especially in Colombia, where repression is still widespread, and for garment workers in Bangladesh, still reeling from the Rana Plaza tragedy 13 years ago.

Canada's unions are also watching developments in the United States since the election of Donald Trump.

"We are alarmed by the unbridled racism, sexism, and attacks on free speech in the U.S., and will use this convention to reaffirm our commitment to being on the front line when it comes to advancing - not just defending - human rights, fairness and equity for all workers in Canada and around the world," said Yussuff.

This year's convention theme is "Together for a fair future". Delegates will focus on issues like the growth of precarious work, how to advance equity and human rights, the transition to a green economy and organizing to strengthen Canada's unions.

Inspiring speakers from Canada, the United States, and around the world will celebrate recent victories and discuss strategies for expanding job security in our changing world of work.

For more information or to obtain media accreditation, see convention.canadianlabour.ca.