Ottawa, December 11th, 2015 — François Laporte, the President of Teamsters Canada, met last Wednesday with Chrystia Freeland, Minister of International Trade; and MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Labour.

“Both ministers agreed that it was important to consult Teamsters Canada on issues that could impact our members,” reported Francois Laporte. “Compared to just a few months ago, I think we’ll be able to do much more when it comes to advocating for our members and workers in general.”

Consultations on Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) were at the centre of Wednesday’s first meeting, when Francois Laporte and five other labour leaders met with the Minister of International Trade and the Minister of Labour.

The meeting, which was organized by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) under the leadership of CLC President Hassan Yussuf, also illustrates how labour leaders are coming together to lobby more effectively for the working class.

Wide range of issues

In a separate meeting, the Minister Labour and Francois Laporte discussed several other important issues such as the repeal of union-busting laws like C525 and C377, the restoration of sector councils and the importance of proper rest for workers in the transport industry.

“The Federal Government should not tolerate abusively long work days [in the transport industry], because it puts the lives of our members and public in danger,” stated President Laporte. “Ottawa should conduct a study on fatigue to find the true costs to individuals, the economy and to the health care system.”

Issues such as protecting pregnant women from unsafe working conditions and mental health support in the workplace were also discussed.

“We were so pleased that Prime Minister Trudeau and MPs from all parties agreed to appear in #MakeItMandatory, our online series on mental health.” said Mr. Laporte. “We’re asking for a follow up so we can finally make mental health support mandatory in the workplace.”

Teamsters Canada was very satisfied about the outcomes of these first meetings.

“Unions are part of the solution; working with employers and elected officials can make a big difference for workers and for the entire country,” concluded François Laporte.

Teamsters Canada represents 120,000 members in Canada in all industries. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with which Teamsters Canada is affiliated, has 1.4 million members in North America.

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Information:

Stéphane Lacroix, Director of Public Relations
Cell: 514 609-5101
Email: [email protected]