The recent killing of Mahsa Amini by Iran’s “Guidance Patrol”, also known as the ‘morality police’, for “improper” wearing of the hijab has led to another important uprising in the country. Led by women demanding freedom from patriarchy and from all forms of systemic oppression and the regime that upholds it, bravely risking their lives…
CUPE Ontario, representing over 280,000 workers in Canada’s largest province, is adding its voice to the call for the government of Sri Lanka to end its repression of students, teachers, and trade unionists in the country. On September 25, the Sri Lankan police violently dispersed hundreds of demonstrators a day after severely curtailing protest rights…
Right Honorable Justin Trudeau Prime Minister of Canada 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A2 [email protected] Honorable Sean Fraser Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Confederation Building, Suite 110 House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6 [email protected] Dear Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Fraser, On behalf of the members of CUPE Ontario, we are writing…
Every year, on the second Wednesday of April, we mark the International Day of Pink. We first began commemorating Day of Pink in Canada in 2007 when two students witnessed another student being bullied because he was wearing a pink shirt and appeared to be gay. In a show of solidarity and a display the…
In 2019, when the Canadian Yellow Vest Movement organized the “United We Roll” convoy, we saw a preview of what’s happening now. We saw organizers claiming that the convoy was the voice of working class concerns – in this case those of oil and gas workers – before quickly becoming a vehicle for white supremacy,…
Five years ago today, on January 29th, 2017, a gunman entered a mosque in Quebec City and opened fire on dozens of Muslims during a prayer service. The shooter, fueled by white supremacist, Islamophobic rhetoric killed six worshippers and injured 19 others. Today, on National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia, we remember Mamadou…
One hundred and eighty-seven years ago today, on 1 August 1834, the Slavery Abolition Act took effect marking the legal end slavery across the British Empire. The Act emancipated over 800,000 enslaved Africans across the Caribbean and South America. As educator and historian Natasha L. Henry notes, many enslaved Africans in British North America received…
TORONTO, ON – Entering Step 3 early is a testament to the contributions of front-line workers but the Ford Conservatives are still failing to ensure safety and a recovery for all, says the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario. “Front-line workers kept us as safe as possible during this pandemic, with members of CUPE…
215. This is a number every single person in what we call Canada must reckon with. This is what Canada was built on – on the foundation of the separation of Indigenous children from their families, of their abuse, of their deaths due to neglect and violence. 215 Indigenous children’s remains found in Tk’emlúps te…
Statement by CUPE Ontario’s Pink Triangle committee on the Day of Pink: Today is the Day of Pink – an international commemoration reminding us about the need for solidarity with LGBTQ2+ people. This year it’s a particularly important issue, as COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted equity-seeking seeking people, including the LGBTQ2+ community. For instance, recent research shows that…
