Thousands of union activists rally in Winnipeg to protect Canadian workers and jobs
Posted May 14, 2026 4:09 pm.
Last Updated May 14, 2026 7:09 pm.
Hundreds of labour delegates took to the streets in Winnipeg, calling for stronger protections for workers and Canadian jobs.
“It’s important to fight for workers’ rights. Keeping our healthcare the way it is, no longer two-tiered healthcare,” said Karen Schmid, the president of Health Science Association Saskatchewan.
Sean O’Reilly, the president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, added, “This is the key thing that the workers are there for everyone to help all Canadians from across this country from coast to coast to coast, and we want to show that we want to work hard and we want to make sure our employers are respecting us.”
The rally brought together union members from across Canada who walked through downtown from the RBC Convention Centre to the Union Centre. This is the first time in 40 years that the Canadian Labour Congress held its annual convention in Winnipeg.
“We’re all here standing about, talking about unions and the power behind unions and the importance of unions, so it’s important for everyone to understand, and this is such a diverse crowd looking around. I’m just proud to be able to be part of this movement to be able to be a voice for Indigenous workers,” said Sharon Giroux, the equity vice president for Indigenous workers.
Angelo Tocco, the vice president of Workers with Disabilities, Canadian Labour Congress, added, “We are fighting for equality, we are fighting for human rights, and I don’t want to speak for everyone, but I think just our presence here speaks volumes.”
Delegates will also prepare to choose the Canadian Labour Congress’s next leadership team. After four days of debate, discussion, and demonstrations, delegates now turn their attention to the future of Canada’s labour movement.
“A lot of people feel isolated now, and people feel divided. This movement is about saying no, we all need to work together. We all share something in common that’s living in a great country with great opportunities, and the richest of the rich can’t tell us that we can’t do better. We can hope for better, and we should hold together for better,” said René Jansen in de Wal, the president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association.
Toth added, “This is a way, in many ways, for union members to see that there’s more to just their own union in this country.”
