Workers make our country strong

This Labour Day, as families gather at parades, barbecues, and community events across Nova Scotia and Canada, we should remember what we’re really celebrating: the power of working people. From hospitals to long-term care facilities, our classrooms to the grocery aisles, our construction sites, factory floors, and the front lines of emergency response workers, it’s workers who keep this country moving.

It’s time we got the respect we deserve. Workers are falling behind, and the last few years have brought more struggle than celebration. Housing costs keep climbing. Groceries and rent are eating up more of every paycheque. Secure jobs are harder to find. Workers are doing everything right, yet many are falling behind. At the same time, corporations are posting record profits, hiking prices, and rewarding CEOs with bloated salaries.

Governments are cutting services, delaying action on health care, and leaving families to fend for themselves. That’s not respect. It’s exploitation. And working people have had enough. When workers come together in unions, we win real, lasting change. Unions have delivered results that benefit everyone, including national dental care, a path to Pharmacare, and $10-a-day childcare.

These victories improve life for all families, not just union members. Here in Nova Scotia, unions continue to show their strength. Health care workers are fighting for safer workplaces. University faculty are standing firm against lockouts. Long-term care and home support workers are demanding dignity and fair wages. Postal workers and federal public service workers are resisting privatization and defending public services. These struggles all point to one truth: when workers stand together, we make progress. Union jobs don’t just support individual workers; they strengthen our entire economy. Higher wages mean more money spent in local stores and businesses.

Pensions keep retirees active in their communities. Strong workplace protections mean safer, healthier workers, which reduces costs to our health system. When unions win fair contracts, they raise the bar for everyone, union and non-union alike. That’s why attacks on unions are really attacks on communities. Every time a good job is lost to low wages, contract work, or privatization, local economies suffer. But when workers organize and bargain collectively, communities thrive.

In 2025, we still face serious challenges. Rents are rising faster than wages. Only two in five workers can access Employment Insurance when they need it. Poverty is climbing, especially for families with children, seniors, Indigenous and racialized people, and workers with disabilities. Many families are being forced to choose between groceries, gas, medications, and rent. These outcomes aren’t accidents. They’re the result of political decisions. And when we stand together, we know decisions can be changed. We are a movement on the rise, and we will continue to push for bold solutions. Doing the same old things is not getting results; we need:

• Public investment in affordable housing
• Universal public services like pharmacare and expanded health care
• Good, sustainable union jobs in every community
• A modern, inclusive Employment Insurance system

Our movement is growing because workers are fed up with being taken for granted. Young workers are organizing in coffee shops, warehouses, and tech companies. Retirees are staying active in their unions. Across the Country, unions are modernizing, building digital networks, and taking bold stands. Over three million union members in this Country are united by one message: when workers are empowered, communities thrive. We also face global challenges. Trump’s trade war is destabilizing jobs and supply chains. At the same time, too many politicians at home echo his playbook, cutting services, ignoring the housing crisis, and handing tax breaks to the wealthy. Workers and unions will not let them get away with it. We all deserve better. This Labour Day, we’re sending a simple message: when workers stand together, we don’t just make Canada strong, we make life better for everyone. Union jobs build strong communities and strong economies. That’s what we celebrate, and that’s what drives us forward.

Working people deserve better. We built this country, and we’re not done yet. It’s the workers’ blood, sweat, and tears that have given us what we have, and every day, the bosses try to take away the little we have. We will not tolerate it any longer. As they say, “No justice, no peace.” Happy Labour Day.