Minister O'Regan announces Canada will be a founding member of M-POWER--a global initiative to strengthen support for unions and workers

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, the Minister of Labour, Seamus O'Regan Jr., announced that Canada will be a founding partner in the Multilateral Partnership for Organizing, Worker Empowerment, and Rights Initiative (M-POWER) and a member of its steering committee. M-POWER is a United States-led global initiative to strengthen and support unions and other democratic worker organizations.

As part of the official launch of the initiative, Minister O'Regan highlighted the work that Canada is doing through the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) Labour Chapter, the implementation of labour provisions in other Canadian free trade agreements, and our Indo-Pacific Strategy and International Labour Organization (ILO) commitments to create work environments that are fair, safe and equitable around the world.

Canada welcomes M-POWER as a platform to continue advocating for and supporting workers at home and abroad, and remains committed to furthering this work by:

• ratifying the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190);
• advancing the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining domestically through ongoing work on replacement workers and gig workers; and
• enforcing labour chapters, providing technical assistance and promoting labour rights in Canada's trade agreements and regional strategies, with $20 million set aside for projects through the CUSMA and $25 million for those under the Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Following the launch event, the Minister will meet with United States Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh to discuss collaboration through M-POWER in the context of the ILO, and in ongoing work through the CUSMA Labour Chapter.

The Minister will also meet with the Minister of Labour of Argentina, Kelly Olmos, to discuss collaboration through M-POWER, and with United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai on a variety of topics of mutual interest.

Quotes

"If we are going to solve the major challenges of our time, workers must lead the way and prosper from their success."
– Minister of Labour, Seamus O'Regan Jr.

"Coordinating global efforts to promote worker organizing and to lift up workers' voices is a key component of M-POWER. Strong, independent labor movements are central to inclusive, vibrant democracies, which is why workers' collective voice is central to setting the priorities for M-POWER."
– United States Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh

Quick Facts

• Canada has ratified nine of the ten ILO fundamental conventions and is exploring ways to ratify the newly identified fundamental convention, the Occupational Safety and Health Convention (No. 155), as soon as possible. Canada played a strong leadership role in the development and adoption of ILO Convention 190, the Violence and Harassment Convention, and expects to formally ratify it very soon.
• The Government is committed to introducing legislation by the end of 2023 to prohibit the use of replacement workers in federally regulated workplaces during a strike or lockout. This will make sure that all workers in federally regulated sectors continue to benefit from a meaningful right to strike. Consultations are open until January 21, 2023.
• As of December 1, 2022, legislation and final regulations to introduce ten days of paid sick leave are in force. Paid sick leave (medical leave with pay) is a paid job-protected leave under Part III of the Canada Labour Code that provides federally regulated private sector employees with up to 10 days of leave per year.
• The Government of Canada is taking action on a number of other fronts to improve working conditions for workers in federally regulated workplaces. Among others, the Government has done the following:
  • Introduced anti-harassment and violence legislation (Bill C-65). The legislation, along with the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations, came into force on January 1, 2021.
  • Introduced the Pay Equity Act to ensure workers in federally regulated workplaces receive equal pay for work of equal value. The legislation, along with the Pay Equity Regulations, came into force on August 31, 2021.
  • Proposed regulations under the Canada Labour Code to ensure that menstrual products are treated like other basic necessities in federally regulated workplaces and are made available at no cost to employees.

Associated Links

M-POWER Initiative
Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement 
Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy: New initiatives and resources 
Canada-United States relations
Roadmap for a Renewed United States-Canada Partnership

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For media enquiries, please contact: Hartley Witten, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Labour, Seamus O'Regan Jr., 343-575-1065, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]