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1 month ago | 
readthemaple.com | Adam King |Jeremy Appel |Nora Loreto
On March 10, Mark Carney became the new leader of the Liberal Party, and four days later, the sitting prime minister until the upcoming election on April 28. Carney received nearly 86 per cent of leadership votes, trouncing runner-up Chrystia Freeland, who secured just 8 per cent. In every riding association across the country, Liberal members broke decidedly for the former central banker.
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Feb 5, 2025 | 
socialistproject.ca | Adam King |Sam Gindin
Economy • February 5, 2025 • and United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs against Canada are understandably causing much consternation and debate. Some business leaders are forecasting dire warnings, union officials are calling for retaliation and relief while also sidling up with their corporate counterparts to present a united front. But these developments are about much more than tariffs.
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Jan 13, 2025 | 
readthemaple.com | Adam King
Data published online by the Government of Canada show that the value of fines issued against employers engaging workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) increased markedly in 2024. According to data from Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, the Government of Canada levied 153 fines against companies employing temporary foreign workers in the last calendar year. Taken together, these monetary penalties totalled $4,030,250, with the average fine coming in at $26,341.50.
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Jan 6, 2025 | 
readthemaple.com | Adam King
How did labour fare in 2024? In many ways, the Canadian labour market and labour movement are both looking more like they did pre-pandemic. Hopes of using the relatively robust post-pandemic economy as a springboard to build something better seem to largely be fading. Strike activity was down considerably in 2024, after reaching historic heights the previous year, by some measures. Wage growth has cooled, even as unions continue to seek pay increases to account for post-pandemic inflation.
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Dec 10, 2024 | 
readthemaple.com | Jeremy Appel |Adam King
Where We AreIn November 2015, just weeks after his Liberal government was sworn in, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made one of his first international appearances at COP21 in Paris. “Canada is back, my friends,” Trudeau declared from the conference stage. “We’re here to help.
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Dec 9, 2024 | 
readthemaple.com | Adam King
The federal government plans to pocket billions of dollars from the pension plan of unionized public servants. As expected, federal public sector unions are incensed. On November 25, president of the Treasury Board Anita Anand tabled a special actuarial report in Parliament detailing the financial position of the Public Service Pension Fund. This $186.4 billion fund covers 700,000 federal public servants and territorial government employees.
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Dec 4, 2024 | 
readthemaple.com | Adam King
Good morning, Maple readers. I’m excited to announce the launch of our new series, The Trudeau Decade. This series explores how several issues in Canada have been shaped under Liberal rule since 2015, and what impact a potential Conservative Party victory in the next federal election may have on them. Each week for the next few weeks you’ll get an article focusing on one specific issue.
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Dec 2, 2024 | 
readthemaple.com | Adam King
Last week, the Manitoba Federation of Labour (MFL) released its “Workplace Health and Safety Report Card” for 2024, an assessment of the provincial government’s record when it comes to protecting and promoting workers’ health and safety. The labour federation gave the provincial NDP government a C+, citing improvements made since the last report card in 2022 but also noting many areas in need of further attention.
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Nov 25, 2024 | 
readthemaple.com | Adam King
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) is fighting for the future of Canada Post. For more than a week, 55,000 union members have been on a nation-wide strike, resisting the employer’s attempt to impose concessions. As it stands, the sides remain far apart. The union is calling for wages that keep pace with inflation, safe working conditions and pension plan protection.
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Nov 18, 2024 | 
readthemaple.com | Adam King
In yet another infringement on workers’ right to strike, the Trudeau government ended work stoppages at ports in British Columbia and Quebec last week by imposing binding arbitration on the unions involved. Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon forced workers back to their jobs by again using his powers under section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to instruct the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to impose arbitration, just as he did against Teamsters rail workers in late August.
