The Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union stands in solidarity with the people of Cuba. These citizens are having their basic human rights, dignities, and livelihoods violated and attacked because of the actions of the Trump administration.

Millions of Cubans find themselves without access to water, electricity and food. Tens of thousands of surgeries are being cancelled for people who desperately need them.

Children, including newborn babies, are being put at risk because the childhood immunization program has been paused, leading to potential future, long-term health implications.

Power blackouts have spread across the country, affecting all sectors of their everyday lives.

We stand firmly in support of the power workers in Cuba who are working hard to address the blackouts and shortages caused by the blockade. Our members who work in the utilities across Canada know how hard it is to manage utilities in the best of times and know how devastating impacts of blackouts can be. The Cuban utility workers are making heroic efforts to preserve and save lives in this time of crisis.

This is a full-blown humanitarian crisis that lays at the feet of the Trump administration, who is violating both the UN Charter and the rights of Cuba to national sovereignty and self-determination.

Our union calling on Government of Canada to act now against the illegal bullying tactics of the Trump administration, and to support the people of Cuba by increasing humanitarian aid and to make diplomatic efforts with other countries to end the US blockade on oil.

We stand for justice. We stand for human rights. We stand with the people and workers of Cuba.

On Friday, May 29, COPE SEPB President Annette Toth joined thousands of Albertans and Canadians in their province-wide Day of Protest in Edmonton.

Albertans are fighting back against the UCP Government pushing back against two-tier healthcare, attacks to their constitutional rights including their right to strike, the affordability crisis, and in support of public school funding among other issues.

Our union stands in solidarity with working people and families in Alberta as they Fight Back Now! It is important for us to stand with Albertans today so that the attacks they are facing now don’t happen to Canadians tomorrow.

Learn more at https://fightbacknow.civicdeeds.com

The 31st Constitutional Convention of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) took place from May 11 to 15 in Winnipeg. Thousands of delegates from across Canada, including many members of COPE/SEPB, gathered to organize, develop strategies, and demonstrate the power of workers coming together.

As unions, we have secured the rights people rely on today because workers organized and fought together.

This convention was an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come and to determine what comes next.

Together, we can build a better future by protecting good jobs and tackling urgent challenges such as climate change and the housing crisis.

We look after our communities by demanding truly universal health care, strong public services, and affordability for working families.

We fight for more equitable systems in which democracy, justice, and dignity are at the core of our actions, and where every worker has a voice.

That is what unions in Canada do: build, care, and fight—for everyone.

To see more pictures of the event clic here.

Annette Toth, President of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union (COPE), has released this statement in response to the Government of Alberta’s use of the notwithstanding clause to attack the rights of teachers and to end the teachers’ strike. COPE represents tens of thousands of union workers in both the public and private sector across Canada:

COPE strongly condemns the Government of Alberta and Premier Danielle Smith’s assault on the rights of the striking teachers in Alberta by invoking the notwithstanding clause to force teachers back to work.

No matter how the Government of Alberta attempts to frame it, this is nothing but an attack on the fundamental rights of teachers who are exercising their rights as workers and doing their part to defend public education and students in Alberta by asking the government to address critical issues that are affecting the educational experience, including class sizes and the need for student support.

By taking this action, the Government of Alberta is also showing they have little regard for workers’ rights in general and would be willing to use this method to attack workers and union members in any sector as they see fit.

Our union, and our tens of thousands of members across the country, stands in solidarity with the teachers in Alberta, and with the Alberta Teachers’ Association, in their continued efforts to defend public education and workers’ rights in the face of a government that has shown little regard for either.

Dear Prime Minister Carney, Minister Hajdu, and Mr. Rousseau,

On behalf of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union (COPE) and our tens of thousands of members across Canada, I am affirming our union’s support to the 10,000+ Air Canada flight attendants who are currently on the picket line at airports across the country.

As a regular customer of Air Canada both as an organization and as individuals, we are collectively calling on you, Mr. Rousseau, and your team at Air Canada, to roll up your sleeves, get down to work and, in good faith, negotiate a fair settlement with the union, the Air Canada Component of CUPE. These workers deserve your attention to address their core concern of unpaid work when they perform duties on the ground including boarding assistance, pre-flight safety checks, and dealing with flight delays.

Additionally, our union is calling on you, Prime Minister Carney, and you, Minister Hajdu, to immediately withdraw the order under s. 107 of the Canada Labour Code to end the legal strike by the Air Canada Component of CUPE and reaffirm the Charter-protected rights of these workers to strike.

It is unconscionable, for a country that prides itself as being a champion of human rights, for a company to expect workers to work on average 35 hours a month for free as Air Canada flight attendants are expected to do.

It is even more unconscionable for a government that touts itself as one that supports working people and families to be willing to trample on those same workers’ rights within hours of the workers’ exercising their Charter-protected rights.

These workers deserve to have a fair contract that compensates them appropriately for the work they do for Air Canada, whether that’s on the ground or in the air. The path to resolving this labour dispute is through negotiation, not legislation.

Sincerely,

Annette Toth
President, Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union

Dear Delegate,

After detailed discussions with both local government and hotel management, our National Executive Board has made the decision to proceed with our 2025 COPE SEPB Convention as scheduled.

This decision was not an easy one to make as we recognize the challenges that many Manitobans face having to evacuate from their homes due to wildfires. However, through our discussions, we were made confident that our presence in Winnipeg will not undermine efforts to support and shelter those who have been displaced by wildfires, and that cancelling our Convention would not guarantee space for displaced individuals.

As of today, June 2, 2025, we have received confirmation that Premier Wab Kinew will be joining us and will be addressing delegates.

Support for people displaced by wildfire

Our national union will be examining ways for us to provide support for displaced individuals, including making financial contributions to organizations that are helping to ensure displaced residents have shelter.

Health and safety for delegates

The health and safety of our delegates at Convention is paramount. Presently, the health and safety recommendations from local governments are related to air quality in Winnipeg. We encourage delegates who have respiratory conditions to stay indoors where possible and to avoid engaging in strenuous activities outdoors. Please follow the recommendations as set out by Environment Canada.

If needed, we also encourage delegates to wear masks outdoors. We will also have masks available at registration and throughout convention.

We thank everybody for their understanding and patience through this challenging situation. We are looking forward to welcoming you to Winnipeg for the 2025 COPE SEPB Convention beginning on Wednesday, June 4, for our equity caucus meetings and convention opening on June 5, 2025.

On behalf of the National Executive Board,

Annette Toth
President

When union members are threatened, we stand together in solidarity. We have each other’s backs, and we don’t back down from a fight.

That is even more important for us now as Canadians who care about our friends, family, and neighbours, as we face the attacks directed towards our communities by Trump.

Within a week of assuming office, Trump has thrown lives and institutions into chaos, making orders that have attacked our cost-of-living, our health care, our economy, the environment, and our human rights. And we know there is worse to come because, at his core, he is a bully, plain and simple.

His threats and actions will deliberately make life more expensive for all of us. He will threaten our healthcare, our families, our sovereignty, and all the things we hold most dear. To achieve his goals he will pit Canadians against one another, distracting us and dividing us.

Attack on equity, diversity, and inclusion

Trump wants to end equity, diversity, and inclusion programs because he knows those initiatives empower people, make communities safer and stronger, and provides us with more freedoms and more choices.

Trump and those who enable him think they can get away with these things because they are counting on us to fight amongst ourselves.

But, make no mistake, this union will always fight – not each other, but against corporate greed and attacks on our human rights. We will always stand up against racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and fascism. These are the tactics that Trump and his followers both in the US and here is Canada will use.

Twenty years ago, we stood up against an international union that wanted to limit our rights and freedoms. Our members rallied together to form our own autonomous Canadian union. Now, we will collectively fight against Trump’s surrogates, like Pierre Poilievre and Danielle Smith, who are set on selling out our freedoms and rights as Canadians. We are proud to be Canadian and to have control over our own freedom and destiny. We are not for sale. Not now. Not ever.

We will support our members, we will embrace empathy, and we will ensure that our union, our communities, and our labour movement, are open and welcoming to everyone.

We will always stand up against bullies like Trump and we will work together with our comrades in labour to fight against those that try to divide us.

We know you will too. We encourage you to learn how the labour movement is standing up against bullies like Trump and Pierre Poilievre by going to workerstogether.ca or texting WORKERS to 55255.

In solidarity,

Annette Toth
President, COPE SEPB

Here is a letter sent to federal Minister of Health Mark Holland by Canadian and Quebec unions that are members of Public Services International (PSI) that represent workers in health care.

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We are writing on behalf of Canadian and Quebec unions that are members of Public Services International (PSI) that represent workers in health care. Collectively, we represent more than 500,000 workers who provide services in every aspect of our health care sector.

Our union is following the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) process to draft and negotiate an international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, also known as the WHO Pandemic Treaty. We have done this work with the support of Public Services International (PSI), the global union federation representing public services, health workers, and care workers around the world, to which we are affiliated.

We are concerned that the first session of the seventh round of discussions of the INB (INB7) held November 6–10 is not progressing adequately on key priorities for health workers and care workers. We urge your Ministry to address the points shared below during the resumed INB7 session December 4–8, 2023.

In addition, we would like to meet with you to be debriefed on the outcomes of INB7. With your support, this future instrument will build on the learnings and experience of health workers and care workers who were at the front lines during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Uphold the Right to Decent Work for Health Workers and Care Workers
While we welcome the inclusion of an article on the workforce in health care and care work, in the current draft of the negotiating text, we are disappointed by its limited progress. Safe workers save lives. Yet, language in drafts prior to this negotiation stage that prioritized adequate protective equipment for front-line health workers during pandemics has been deleted.

It is imperative for countries to recognize the crucial work done by front-line workers during the pandemic and integrate this into the international accord (in Article 7) towards safeguarding the lives and health of health workers in the event of future health emergencies.

Further, the current draft lacks substantial provisions that uphold decent work for all health workers and care workers, protect their health and safety, and recognize the essential role of front-line and migrant health workers and care workers.

We recommend the following:
● Include in Article 1 a broad definition of the health and care workforce, which incorporates all workers classified as health workers by the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) used by WHO.
● Decent work should also be incorporated into Article 3 as a guiding principle to be followed when developing, planning, and implementing any measures related to the preparedness, prevention, and response to a future pandemic.
● Article 7 must include provisions that will secure and protect the labour rights of the health and care workforce, including with reference to ILO Conventions 87 and 98.
● Article 7 must guarantee safe staff-to-patient ratios and other minimum work and employment standards as outlined in the ILO Convention 149 on Nursing Personnel and the 2017 ILO Tripartite Meeting on Improving Employment and Working Conditions in Health Services.
● Include a provision for prioritizing Occupational Safety and Health measures in Article 3 (guiding principles), including a reference to ILO Convention 155 and Resolution 164.
● Include the precautionary principle in Article 3 as a guiding principle, and substantive language in Article 7, so that the precautionary principle is applied when the cause-and-effect relationships are not fully established scientifically and there may be threats of harm to human health or the environment, particularly in the delivery of health care and care services during pandemics.
● Include in Article 7 provisions to address injury, sequelae, or death for health workers and care workers, as well as their families during pandemic response.
● Include clauses in Article 7 that hold both source and destination countries accountable for protecting both the migrant workers and the health systems of sending countries.
Ensure Public Financing for Public Goods
In order to truly realize a robust, fair, and equitable global innovation system that will generate affordable and timely health technologies, we must understand health technologies (medical countermeasures) as public goods. Article 9.4 should guarantee that all health products, technologies, know-how, etc. that originate from publicly funded research programs are kept in the public domain and cannot be patented.
● Manufacturers of technologies that were developed with public funding must provide the resulting medical countermeasures on a no profit/no loss basis upon the announcement of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
● This should apply regardless of the extent of public funding.

The Covid-19 pandemic showed that we cannot rely on the voluntary agreements the private sector promotes. We need compulsory measures to ensure transparency of costs of R & D and future public contracts signed with private companies. An earlier draft (the pre-zero draft) included compulsory measures for entities that receive public funding for R & D in pandemic countermeasures to disclose prices and contractual terms of public procurement (Article 9.3.b). However, this measure—the only one that created an obligation for private entities—has been removed. This should be put back, i.e., included.

Waive Patent Rights in All Cases of Public Health Emergencies
The COVID-19 pandemic has again shown that maintaining intellectual property privileges during a health crisis generates artificial scarcity and high prices, costing hundreds of thousands of lives, especially in the Global South. We cannot live through another health emergency by naturalizing monopolies and relying on voluntary solutions. The text must include a binding and automatic mechanism to waive intellectual property rights for technologies related to dealing with such an emergency immediately after a PHEIC is declared (in Article 11.3.(a)). Further, the future instrument should encourage countries to put in place similar mechanisms at the national level.

Further, countries are worried about implementing time-bound waivers unilaterally due to the threats of legal action. This had been addressed in an earlier version of the text that mentioned that parties couldn’t challenge these measures. We recommend this text be included in article 11.3.(a). Similarly, text that creates barriers to governments that are willing to put in place compulsory measures without the consent of patent and/or other intellectual property rights holders (i.e., “on mutually agreed terms”) should be removed from the draft text.

Finally, we recommend the inclusion of provisions towards the review of relevant free trade agreements to remove TRIPS-plus measures, such as data protection, linkage, and patent term extension, amongst others.

Ensuring Everyone Shares and Everyone Benefits
The inclusion of a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system (PABS system, in Article 12) is an important learning from the mistakes of the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, we are concerned that the concrete elements of this system are left unaddressed and are worried that such a gap can render this important effort meaningless. We urge governments to maintain the same timeline for the PABS System as for the rest of the treaty.

We require monetary and non-monetary obligations on the recipient of pathogen data (Recipients), and for governments to bear the responsibility to ensure that commitments are respected. We welcome the requirement for Recipients to provide WHO with real-time access to pandemic-related products, though this should be based on a higher minimum (currently set at a minimum of 20%), as well as an appropriate distribution based on a rolling assessment of evolving public health risks and needs. In addition, the 3 subsections of Article 12.4 (c) should be revised into mandatory benefit-sharing conditions for the Recipients.

Strengthen Health Systems to Prevent Health Emergencies
Pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response require a global financial architecture that ensures that all countries have sufficient resources to inject into building strong and universal public health systems. We are concerned that language on finance is weak. The text should include the principle of solidarity and a commitment to an Equitable International Order (in article 3), as well as provisions towards equity in financing of pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.

Further, the ILO has underlined the role of social dialogue in strengthening public services, including public health systems.1 The European Commission document also highlights that “social dialogue is an essential tool for balanced crisis management and for finding effective mitigation and recovery policies,” and that “experience shows that social dialogue contributes to effective crisis management.”2 Article 6 should direct relevant actors to engage in social dialogue and governments to ensure active participation of unions and workers both in the planning and response during an emergency and in times of no pandemic.

Inclusion of Climate Crisis
We strongly recommend the inclusion of the climate crisis as a central priority to be considered in all pandemic and hazard preparedness and response programs. We further strongly recommend the need to prioritize improving health care resiliency in preparation for the ongoing climate crisis. In the zero draft of the pandemic treaty, the proposed “Article 5.(a). Strengthening pandemic prevention and preparedness through a One Health Approach” was the only article to mention climate change. Article 5.(a) did not make it into the current draft. We strongly encourage its inclusion in addition to much stronger language about preparing for health hazards in the context of our ongoing climate crisis.

Our current health care system is unprepared to respond to both current and future hazards created by the ongoing climate crisis. The pandemic treaty presents an opportunity to hold governments to account to invest in programs that would improve the resiliency of our health care infrastructure, protect the health care workforce during climate disasters, and support research into the health impacts of climate change.

We urge the negotiators to incorporate the climate crisis (and specifically, the extreme weather disasters that are caused by climate change), as hazards that require attention and funding. We encourage the negotiators to include the creation of funding programs to invest in construction projects to improve the resilience and pre-disaster mitigation of our health care infrastructure. Finally, we urge the negotiators to require investment in occupational health and safety programs and hazard pay for health care workers during any extreme weather event.

The negotiations now enter a key moment. We look forward to your support and remain at your disposal for any questions you may have.
Yours sincerely.

Below is a statement from the Executive Vice President of Canadian Labor Congress, Larry Rousseau regarding the rise of far-right and anti-trans groups who oppose the policy of inclusion of 2SLGBTQI+ children in Canadian schools.

COPE / SEPB unreservedly supports the CLC initiative and strongly denounces the actions taken by far-right groups.

“For COPE, it is a question of human rights. Attacking the policy of inclusion of 2SLGBTQI+ children is absurd and demonstrates a blatant lack of empathy and compassion. A progressive organization like ours must loudly denounce actions aimed at further isolating minority groups,” explains COPE President Annette Toth.

We invite you to read the following statement and take appropriate action:

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Today, far-right and anti-trans groups organized protests against education policies designed to make schools safer and more inclusive spaces for 2SLGBTQI+ children.

Billed as the #1MillionMarch4Children, these groups are calling for parents to remove their children from school and join protests, rallies and other gatherings. Over 80 locations across the country have been announced as participating, with larger events planned in major cities. You will find a somewhat comprehensive listing of protest sites on the website of the so-called “anti-woke” organization, Blueprint for Canada. Note that while most events are taking place on September 20, some are planned for other days of this week.

Here are some ways you can take action against this disturbing rise of hatred and extremism:

• Make a strong statement opposing any attack on 2SLGBTQI+ rights and these hate-motivated efforts to undermine the progress we have made in ensuring our schools are safe and welcoming learning environments for all students.

• Amplify and support local, provincial and national allies who are leading the pushback against this growing hate movement and who are often the target of attacks, including Egale, Momentum Canada, and the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.

• If you wish to be involved in efforts to counter any potential changes in government policy in Ontario, add your organization to Momentum’s list of allies.

• We encourage you to reach out to local organizations and networks who may be planning counter-protests on this day, including already-established union flying squads, to get involved in planning, and to promote any planned counter-protests to your members. Some federations of labour have begun a coordinated effort and we encourage you to get involved.

• Consider making a financial or in-kind donation to local groups and networks that are coordinating counter-protest action. Most are grassroots and led by volunteers, many of whom are queer and trans folk who have been dealing with this hatred on a daily basis. This might include donations, megaphones, food and water, masks, printing, marshall vests and trained marshalls, meeting space, etc.

Today’s events targeted  schools, school board offices, city or town halls, legislatures and offices of provincial politicians. If your local has a flying squad, I hope they were mobilized to be at these events and remain a counter-protest. connected with local 2SLGBTQI+ organizations. This will not be the last time these hate filled protests will take place so we need to be prepared for now and into the future. This guide provides tips on safety at counter-protests.

As you can imagine, today was a challenging day for our 2SLGBTQI+ members and the community, and these events raise serious health and safety concerns for workers, students, and community members regardless of gender or sexual orientation. We want our queer and trans friends, colleagues, and family members to know that they are loved and valued, and that their safety matters to all of us.

It’s important to pay attention to this movement, as their rhetoric and demands are being validated by conservative politicians in several provinces and echoed by the federal Conservatives. Education policies are being rolled back in at least two provinces, and under consideration elsewhere, with additional open musing about changes to legislation.

Bigotry and violence that threatens the fundamental human rights of 2SLGBTQI+ people require a strong unified response rooted in solidarity from all workers, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. An injury to one, is an injury to all.

A strong show of union solidarity for the 2SLGBTQI+ communities in the face of persistent and rising hatred and bigotry is essential.  COPE/SEPB remains 100% opposed to all forms of hate. sing hatred and bigotry is absolutely essential. We will continue to keep you posted on developments and encourage you to connect with our Human Rights Department as well as our regional staff if you have questions regarding our ongoing work or wish to share information.