On November 4, 2021, the Toronto and York Region Labour Council adopted a statement on climate justice and our movement.

Climate action is heating up. Here in Canada, the labour movement continues to push for climate justice.

Climate change is the single greatest challenge of our time. It is already affecting the lives, livelihoods and the health and safety of workers in Canada and around the world. We are in a climate emergency and addressing this emergency is urgent union work.

We have a chance to create millions of good, unionized jobs across Canada including opportunities for young workers, Indigenous people and equity-seeking groups. Yet some set out a false choice between good jobs and ambitious climate action. Let us be clear, we can and we must have both – for our climate, our economy and our society. We must have a just, job-rich transition for workers and communities that is democratic, worker-focused and public-service led.

Read the full statement

Labour Council resolved to:

1. Encourage Delegates and other Labour Council members to participate in the November 6^, 2021 rally at Queen’s Park for Climate Justice Now;
2. Call on affiliates to adopt the Canadian Labour Congress Climate Action Agenda;
3. Call on affiliates to work with the Labour Education Centre to develop a union management emissions reduction committee in their workplace;
4. Demand the federal government enact effective, meaningful just transition legislation;
5. Call on affiliates to work to defeat Ford’s Conservative government and elect progressive MPPs in the June 2022 provincial election to ensure that climate justice is given priority as part of a just recovery;
6. Demand that municipal governments implement climate justice plans and lobby all levels of government to ensure that municipalities have the necessary funding to do so.

Learn more about Labour Council's ongoing commitment to Climate Justice.