CUPE is sending congratulations to the ministers and secretaries of state who were sworn into cabinet today. CUPE looks forward to working with the Prime Minister and his team.
However, the Prime Minister’s decision to first eliminate the cabinet position for labour just before the election and then bring the position back as a secretary of state instead of a full minister is not just disappointing, but frankly insulting. The Prime Minister has done the same to cabinet representation for people with disabilities, but thankfully reversed course on cabinet representation for women and gender equality.
While the previous Liberal government made progress on workers rights because of the NDP’s relentless push for anti-scab legislation, they also betrayed workers by using section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to block workers from exercising their Charter rights and tip the scales in favour of bosses and big corporations.
The Prime Minister’s decision to give labour concerns a second-class seat at the cabinet table shows that workers will matter even less than they did under the previous Liberal government. In this pivotal moment for our country amidst threats to our sovereignty, workers should come first – not as an afterthought.