Tariff Emergency
Tariffs will create a widespread recession.
Governments at all levels must take action to provide income supports that are adequate, widely accessible, and structured to avoid costly and punitive clawback measures against workers.
For the full workers-first agenda:
- Download the PDF
- Review the presentation slides
- Scroll down for the full text
Organizing tools
➡️ Posters: Tabloid size - 11" x 17"
➡️ Leaflets: Letter size - 8.5" x 11" (single-sided, cut in half)
➡️ Petitions:
- General outreach - Letter size - The full list of emergency measures is included on the back page (when copying, flip on short edge)
- Union members - Letter size - The full list of emergency measures is included on the back page (when copying, flip on short edge)
➡️ Emergency measures: No One Left Behind - A workers-first agenda to protect communities
- Printable booklet - Letter size sheets - 8.5" x 11"
- Slides - PDF format - for use at local in-person or online meetings
- Slides - Canva format - for use at local in-person or online meetings
➡️ Sample resolution: Use this google document to a copy and modify the wording to suit the needs of your organization, union, or central labour body
A “No One Left Behind” Agenda for Emergency Action
EMERGENCY MEASURES
The federal government must act immediately to ensure all workers have:
- Weekly income support of no less than $600.00 per week, either through Employment Insurance (EI) or direct grants for those who can’t access regular benefits. This income support must include misclassified workers and migrant workers. [Also see: recommendations of the Inter-Provincial Working Group on Employment Insurance.]
> Workers need emergency access to EI after 120 hours.
> There should be no waiting period and workers should not have to use up separation payments (such as vacation pay or severance pay).
- A freeze on increases in the price of food.
- A freeze on interest rate increases, people are not struggling further from higher interest payments to lenders.
Federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments must:
- Implement a moratorium on evictions.
- Legislate a rent freeze and permanently implement or extend rent control to ALL tenants.
- Support employers impacted by tariffs, but ensure such funds are not used to increase profit rates or issue dividends to shareholders.
> Ensure any public funds misused by corporations are repaid.
> Publicly disclose all corporations that have misused public funds.
- End misclassification of employees as independent contractors. Such action will also restore lost income for EI, Canada & Quebec Pensions Plans, and workers’ compensation funds.
- Increase social assistance, disability supports, workers' compensation, and Old Age Security to at least $600 per week.
- Increase public funding for publicly-provided healthcare, education, childcare, and other public services to address sustained labour shortages in vital sectors.
- Increase public funding for infrastructure, such as public transit, and build deeply affordable, high-quality social housing. These investments will keep costs down for ordinary people while mitigating job losses.
- Ensure profitable corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes to fund public infrastructure and public services since they benefit from these investments.
FIX EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PERMANENTLY
The federal government must fix Employment Insurance permanently as follows:
Expand Access:
- Set a universal 360-hour (12-week) qualifying rule for Regular and Special Benefits.
- End harsh disqualification rules that leave many vulnerable workers without EI access.
- Extend EI access to all migrant workers.
- Ensure that misclassified, self-employed workers have access to EI.
- End the practice where workers must use-up separation payments (vacation and severance) before accessing EI benefits.
Improve weekly benefit rates & duration
- Raise the benefit rate to 75% and raise the cap on insurable earnings.
- A minimum benefit rate of at least $600 per week for Regular and Special benefits.
- Provide up to 50 weeks of Regular EI benefits.
- Provide EI income benefits for workers so long as they are in approved training.
- Extend the benefit period for combined Regular and Special EI (parental, etc).
Increase and earmark contributions to EI funds
- Restore annual federal government contributions to EI.
- Set EI premium rates at a level that will balance the fund over the length of an economic cycle, avoiding counter-cyclical pressures during economic crises.
- Raise the cap on insurable earnings to increase EI revenue and fund higher benefit rates.
- Pass legislation to ensure EI funds are only used to fund EI benefits and not used to offset cuts in corporate taxes, income tax cuts, or otherwise allocated to general revenues.
