UFCW Canada Commemorates Holocaust Remembrance Day

On January 27, 2005, the United Nations General Assembly officially proclaimed January 27^th as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. The date coincides with the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Soviet troops in 1945. Annually on this day, we remember the victims of the Holocaust and we reaffirm our commitment to counter antisemitism, racism, and hate.

The impact and consequences of the systematic murders of six million Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, impacted countries globally. Today, Canada’s continuous actions to hold solidarity with holocaust survivors also includes moments in our own history when we didn’t do the right thing.

 While we didn’t experience the Holocaust directly, Canadians lost family members and loved ones due to persecution happening in Europe. Due to restrictive immigration policies, Canada turned away 900 passengers of the M.S. St. Louis, who were refused entry into Canada and forced to return to Europe. However, in April 1945, Canadian forces also liberated the Westerbork Transit Camp in the Netherlands, where 900 Dutch Jews were still interned there.

Around 40,000 Holocaust survivors resettled in Canada following the war. In 2009, Canada became a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and in 2010, it led the development of the Ottawa Protocol on Combatting Antisemitism and became the first country to sign the protocol in 2011. This is an important action aimed at measuring a country’s progress in countering Antisemitism.  More recently, in 2021, the Government of Canada hosted a National Summit on Antisemitism, following a 2020 appointment of an Inaugural Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism.

As a strong and united union, we commit to doing the continuous work to dismantle and counter all forms of hate, and to ensure that mistakes of our past never happen again. Antisemitism is rising in Canada. Part of our collective responsibility is to ensure that the workplace is a safe place for all workers, free from discrimination of any form. Education is a big part of sustaining a culture free of hate, along with allyship actions that uphold a strong stance against antisemitism and all other forms of hate.

Sign your support for the UFCW Canada digital campaign to counter hate.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

December 3 marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, commemorated by the United Nations (UN) since 1992. The observance of the day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. On this day we reaffirm our commitment to continue fighting for disability inclusion at work and in society at large.  

The 2022 observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is around the theme of innovation and transformative solutions for inclusive development in employment and reducing inequality. Read more about this theme at the UN’s IDPWD.org site.

6.2 million Canadians aged 15 years and older identify as having a least one disability. Recent years have  only exacerbated existing inequities, including employment gaps across for the country for persons with disabilities. Workers with compensable work-related injuries have seen a reduction in benefits while insurance companies continue to prioritize employer rebates ahead of worker health and well-being.

UFCW Canada works with national disability organizations like Inclusion Canada and Disability Without Poverty to support their disability justice work, to lobby all levels of governments and to push for a strengthened disability inclusion lens in worker supports.

Right now, the Canada Disability Benefit Act (Bill C-22) is being debated in parliament. This bill has potential to bring economic equality for persons with disabilities across Canada. Write to your MP and Senator to urge them to pass Bill C-22 by the end of the year and to commit to creating the Canada Disability Benefit in 2023.

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, UFCW Canada reaffirms our commitment to eliminating workplace barriers, strengthening collective bargaining protections for workers with disabilities and advocating for a strengthened disability inclusive lens which leaves no one behind.

Learn more about this day at idpwd.org or by following along the hashtags of #InclusionIsForEverybody and #IDPWD on social media.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

In 1992, the United Nations General Assembly adopted October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Despite the continued growth in global economic development, millions of people around the world continue to live in extreme poverty.

Today, there are 1.3 billion people living in persistent poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic has only made matters worse. The link between poor access to social determinants of health and poverty continue to rise. According to the World Bank, between 88 and 115 million people around the world continue to be pushed into poverty during this most recent health and economic crisis.

The United Nations theme for International Day for the Eradication of Poverty surrounds respect for people and planet. To do that, we look to address the systemic issues that cause poverty. In Canada the focus is building back better for a post-pandemic recovery that leaves no one behind. Gig-workers are often cited as an example of people confined to employment on the margins of precariousness and vulnerability as they experience a lack of basic workplace protections.

As we reflect on the actions needed to eradicate poverty there is no better time than now to continue advocating for a post-pandemic recovery that puts workers first. Across Canada, injured workers are continuously deprived dignity, especially when attempting to access compensation after a workplace injury.

It is not okay to sustain an economy on precarious labour as experienced by migrant workers who have no opportunity for citizenship yet are critical to Canada’s economic growth.

Poverty eradication strategies need to address the many ways people experience economic insecurity. To do that, workers must be front and centre in the dialogue. 

World Mental Health Day

Every October 10, people around the world observe World Mental Health Day to raise awareness of the stigmas surrounding mental illness and the importance of promoting mental health. With new challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and an increased need for mental health services as people grapple with the coronavirus crisis, this year’s World Mental Health Day seeks to promote greater awareness of and investment in mental health.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is one of the most neglected areas of public health. Globally, close to 1 billion people are living with a mental illness. And now, billions of people around the world have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is having a further impact on people’s mental wellbeing.

Clearly, then, a focus on mental health is needed now more than ever, and it is also important for us to recognize that workplace health and safety includes mental health. Given that, on any given week, 500,000 Canadians are unable to work due to mental illnesses, it is vital for employers to provide support to workers who are experiencing a mental illness, and to work with employees and their union to develop an effective workplace mental health strategy.

Indeed, our union believes that mental health promotion belongs to all of us, because no one is immune to mental illness, regardless of your occupation, gender, ethnicity, or any other marker of your identity. That is why, in support of World Mental Health Day 2021, UFCW Canada has launched a new Mental Health Resources webpage featuring tools that can help with addressing mental health issues at work.   

UFCW is also encouraging activists and allies to help raise awareness of the need for mental health supports and investment and robust workplace mental health strategies by talking to your friends, family, colleagues, and social networks about these critical issues.

Your mental health starts with you, and it is just as important as any other health-related matter in life. Take care of your own health to support those around you. And remember that workplace health and safety always includes mental health.

Refugee Rights Day – April 4

Each year in Canada, Refugee Rights Day is commemorated on April 4. The day is a moment to celebrate the advances that have been made in the protection of refugee rights in Canada, most notably as a result of the Singh Decision in 1985. It is also an opportunity for us to strengthen our advocacy for refugees, refugee claimants, displaced persons, undocumented persons, and immigrants in our labour activism.

On April 4, 1985, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the 1982 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the fundamental rights of refugees. The Court decided that Section 7 of the Charter applies to everyone in Canada. The judgment states that everyone is entitled to “life, liberty, and security of the person,” regardless of their status as citizens, refugee applicants, or as undocumented persons.

This year’s Refugee Rights Day is especially relevant, as we are seeing the Singh decision in action with Canada’s acceptance of Ukrainian families escaping the Russian military’s senseless and horrifying war on Ukraine. Under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel visa program, available for all individuals fleeing Ukraine, there is no limit to the number of people who can apply, and eligible individuals can stay, work, and go to school in Canada for up to three years.

The authorization is the right thing to do in Ukrainians’ time of need, and programs like this should be extended to all people escaping war and violence abroad. Indeed, Canada should accept refugees fleeing their countries for various reasons, whether it be violence, human rights violations, or any other protected ground.

As we remember the landmark Singh decision, and welcome a new wave of families affected by war, it is important for us to maintain our commitment to protect the rights of refugees and undocumented people. This should be reflected in the way we advocate for improved workers’ rights, and for the acceptance of all refugees, no matter their country of origin.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Every year, on March 21, UFCW Canada joins with global communities in recognizing the International Day for The Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Read more...