Dear fellow CWA Canada members,

For the second year in a row, we are not able to march this Labour Day, but our voices will be as loud as ever.

As we emerge from the pandemic, we will continue to shout in support of quality jobs, quality journalism, a vibrant free press, a strong, independent labour movement, and racial, economic, and social equality.

The coming months offer us a special opportunity to shape a new Canada. We can’t return to the old “normal.”

The pandemic has highlighted the inequality in our society, especially among low-income workers and marginalized communities – Indigenous people, women of colour, workers with disabilities, and many others.

We join with the Canadian Labour Congress in its campaign for a strong pandemic recovery plan that includes decent jobs that offer a living wage, benefits like paid sick leave and pensions, a path to unionization for workers, improvements to Employment Insurance, and access to universal, affordable child care.

It’s also time to act on tax fairness to ensure that wealthy people and big businesses pay their fair share. Many corporations and investors made huge profits during the pandemic, and they can afford to share the wealth.

And of course, the horrifying revelations about residential school graves must spur us as a nation to address the injustices of the past and take real action to improve the lives of our Indigenous sisters and brothers.

A federal election is coming, and it’s vital that we demand change from our politicians. We must insist that they support a plan to create a fair and just society. No return to the old “normal.” That must be our message – on Labour Day and beyond.