UFCW activists meet with elected officials to advocate for pharmacare, retirement security

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Ottawa – February 28, 2020 – UFCW Canada activists recently joined labour allies from across the country in Ottawa to participate in a series of political action meetings with government ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs).

Organized by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the February 25 meetings saw activists from UFCW Canada Local Unions and the National Office joining with representatives and affiliates from the CLC to meet with MPs and ministers on Parliament Hill and discuss key issues facing workers and their families.

The meetings provided activists with an opportunity to speak with Members of Parliament about the need for a national pharmacare system that provides all Canadians with prescription drug coverage; a federal minimum wage of $15 an hour to lift federally regulated workers on the lower end of the wage scale out of poverty; new legislation to protect the hard-earned pensions of Canadian workers and retirees; and federal action on International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention C190, which protects workers from violence and harassment in the workplace.

Throughout the day, activists met with dozens of MPs and Senators from various political parties. Later that evening, participants heard from federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who energized the room with a passionate speech about his party’s commitment to advocate for working families from coast to coast. Minister of Labour Filomena Tassi then discussed her government’s efforts to engage workers on the issues affecting them at home and on the job, while CLC President Hassan Yussuff talked about the importance of governments and political parties maintaining strong relationships with workers and their unions.

This year’s event saw more than 400 union members and activists meeting with elected officials from across Canada, making it the largest lobby day of its kind on Parliament Hill.

As Canada’s leading union, UFCW Canada believes that political action is essential to achieving a better life for workers and their families. Our union takes politics seriously because the decisions made by political parties and elected officials impact UFCW Canada members in their workplaces, homes, and communities. To learn more about our union’s work in the political realm, visit the UFCW Canada Political Action webpage.