Posts published in December 2025

On December 8, the firefighters from CUPE 7175 affiliated with the Conseil provincial du secteur incendie, CPSI, once again turned up at a municipal council meeting in the Quebec town of Saint-Félix-de-Valois, this time to speak out against the unpaid seven-day suspension of two firefighters, including the union president.

These new sanctions are the latest in a series of disciplinary measures that have soured labour relations in the fire department. At last week’s council meeting, the municipality announced the dismissal of two firefighters. Disturbingly, these firefighters have yet to receive an explanation for their dismissal. The suspended workers received a letter mentioning shortcomings, yet the alleged events took place in the presence of the assistant manager, who did not react at the time.

The firefighters had previously held a general membership meeting, where they passed a motion of non-confidence in the assistant manager. At the council meeting, they informed elected officials of this vote and reiterated their expectations.

“Firefighters expect their superiors to do everything they can to protect their health and safety, not to be severely punished as an afterthought!” said Maxime Valade, union representative. “If there really was a health and safety issue at the time the events occurred, it was the assistant manager’s responsibility to take action to prevent it.”

Asked about the assistant manager’s role, the mayor acknowledged his presence during the events, but did not specify whether consequences could be in store for him. The union expects clear answers and concrete actions to restore a healthy work climate.

In the coming weeks, the union will be going forward with appropriate legal actions to defend its members’ rights.

Last night, 29 of the 33 school crossing guards from Brossard, QC attended a general membership meeting, during which they unanimously accepted the new seven-year collective agreement proposal.

“We made significant gains on wages, got improvements regarding clothing and added extra leave; we’re very satisfied overall,” said Karine Laprise, president of SREM-CUPE 306, the Syndicats regroupés des employés municipaux, which represents the Brossard employees.

The last collective agreement expired on December 31, 2023.

Inflation in Canada may be calming compared to the record highs in 2022 and 2023, but people are still struggling with the cost of living. While overall inflation increased by 2.1% on a year-over-year basis in September 2025, housing and grocery prices are rising at a significantly higher rate, the national averages being 4% for groceries and 4.8% for rent.

A recent national survey conducted by Nanos Research revealed that one in five people have skipped a bill payment in order to afford groceries over the past year. Younger people were four times more likely to have been in this situation than their older counterparts — 18% of people aged 18 to 34 versus 4% of people 55 and up.

In the October 2025 Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada reported that over one in four people in Canada (27.7%) live in a household facing financial difficulties – meaning they were struggling to afford basic necessities like transportation, food, and clothing. While 27.7% is still far too high, this number has been on a downward trend since reaching a record high of 35.5% in 2022. Individuals who rent their homes were more likely to experience financial difficulties (37%) than those who live in a home they or somebody else in their household own (23.6%). Both of these numbers are trending downwards only slightly, while food and shelter costs continue to rise.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, who’s in the household and whether they have a job have a big impact on the risk of financial hardship. Researchers at Statistics Canada found that more couples with children faced financial difficulties in October (32.4%) than couples without children (25.3%). This number is higher for single parents: 46.8% reported financial difficulties. Similarly, people living in a household with at least one unemployed person were much more likely to report challenges meeting their financial needs (46.1%) than those living in households with no unemployed people (25.8%).

Even if these numbers are trending downwards, they highlight the fact that far too many people in Canada are still struggling to make ends meet. We urgently need government action that will meaningfully address this economic insecurity. The government’s 2025 budget misses the mark with respect to what people in Canada really need. Instead of focusing on big business and tax breaks, the Liberals should be expanding programs like pharmacare, dental care and $10-a-day child care.

With every announcement from the new Liberal government, especially Budget 2025, it might be tempting to look back on the Justin Trudeau years with rose-coloured glasses. However, when we look at the progressive policies implemented by his government, it’s important that we remember that policy measures that advance workers’ rights or make society more equal don’t stem from government goodwill alone. Wins like anti-scab legislation, pharma and dental care are the results of hard-fought battles led by unions and their allies. As workers, we can never take for granted that governments will look out for our best interests.

Because most people learn about government actions through announcements delivered via the news or social media, the struggles and efforts behind progressive policy developments are mostly invisible. This is in part because governments will always take credit for progressive policy moves, regardless of how big or small they are. For example, Carney’s Budget 2025 is quick to take credit for the pharmacare, dental care, and child care programs launched under Trudeau. But it doesn’t include any plans to allocate more funding or develop these life-changing programs to their full potential.

These programs were introduced under the Trudeau Liberals, but they became a reality because of sustained pressure from the NDP. That pressure did not emerge in a vacuum: it reflected years of advocacy and organizing by civil society organizations and the labour movement — work that is deeply embedded within the NDP.

In many ways, it’s fair to say that most government decisions are influenced by pressure and advocacy from various groups or organizations seeking to advance certain interests and policy goals, both good and bad. For example, Mark Carney met face-to-face with Goldy Hyder, CEO of the Business Council of Canada, just days after being elected. The Business Council of Canada represents the CEOs of over 170 of Canada’s largest corporations, its board of directors is made up of people like Loblaws billionaire Galen Weston, and CEOs from fossil fuel companies and major banks.

The Business Council of Canada played a notable role in shaping economic policy in the 1980s and 1990s, particularly in advancing the pro-corporate agenda that informs our governments’ priorities to this day. But it wasn’t always like this. Before the 1980s, labour was more meaningfully consulted on industrial and labour policies. This role was not simply handed to us, it was won through the militancy and strength of organized labour.

And we are seeing a resurgence of that militancy and strength today. Over the past five years, there has been a renewed sense of urgency among CUPE members and labour activists across the country. We saw it most recently with Air Canada flight attendants, when the Liberal government used section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to end their strike. Our members stood their ground and refused to let the government trample on their right to bargain.

Across the country, every day, CUPE members are coming together and forcing governments reckon with our power. Municipal locals stand up for clean and safe drinking water, like CUPE 830 who held the line for over 100 days in Charlottetown, PEI. Education workers are fighting for quality public education, like the locals in Saskatchewan who are developing a plan for sector-wide coordinated bargaining, or the members in Alberta who stood up to Premier Danielle Smith. There are countless examples. Across every sector, in every province, CUPE members are making their voices heard.

It’s undeniable that certain groups — specifically those representing the wealthy and powerful — have more privileged access to our government and elected leadership. But that is no reason to give in to hopelessness and despair. Mark Carney may not want to listen to workers, but CUPE’s 800,000 members will leave him no other choice.