Canadians will be heading to the polls on Monday, voting for which party will lead the country through the trade dispute with the US and out of an ongoing cost-of-living crisis. These issues, along with broader Canada-US relations, healthcare and jobs are top election concerns for Canadians, according to polling by Abacus Data.
Canadian labour organizations have already called on their membership to vote in this election, saying it is a crucial one. In fact, early voting saw a record-breaking turnout with an estimated 7.3 million Canadians heading to the polls.
The heightened turnout reflects the anxiety among Canadians as Donald Trump’s chaos reigns. The Canadian job market has already taken a hit. In March, Canada saw 33,000 job losses which is the highest per-month losses since January 2022.
Earlier in the election season, unions put out their platforms for this election in the hopes of forcing federal party leaders to pay attention to workers’ needs in turbulent times. Employment insurance, health care and an improved tax system were among the shared priorities across unions.
Ahead of the final voting push, here is where the five major parties stand on labour issues.
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is currently leading in the polls, according to data from CTV News. Their platform prioritizes strengthening the Canadian economy. In response to the instability caused by Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, the Liberal party has committed to continuing counter tariffs and other economic responses. The party says they will reinvest any money raised from these tariffs into measures to support workers and businesses affected by the trade war. They have also committed to creating a $2 billion fund to boost Canada’s auto sector competitiveness.
The Liberals have also pledged to address the health human resource crisis by adding thousands of new doctors. The party promises to build more medical school spaces and remove barriers for internationally trained doctors. They have also promised a $1,100 per year tax credit for personal support workers and expansion to the Union Training and Innovation Program in an effort to support training for teachers, nurses and PSWs. Mark Carney and the Liberal Party’s health care plan has laid out more detailed steps to recruit doctors while other health workers like PSWs and nurses are given just a few lines of attention in their full platform.
The Liberals have also pledged to expand employment insurance, albeit temporarily. Their proposed measures include temporarily waiving the one-week EI waiting period and suspending rules around separation for a six-month period, so workers don’t have to wait to get EI until they have exhausted their severance pay.
The Workers’ Action Centre, a labour organization for unionized and non-unionized workers alike, has said they want to see permanent changes to the EI system.
Other measures for workers being promised by Carney and the liberals include funding to support training and labour mobility for skilled trades workers.
While promises in the Liberals’ full campaign platform show attention to workers’ needs. Carney’s short stint as Prime Minister before this election included some moves that raised alarm bells for labour activists.
Notably, when Carney put together his cabinet, he cut the ministries of labour and women. The lack of a labour minister drew attention from Unifor’s national president Lana Payne.
NDP
The NDP has historically been seen as the party with labour’s interests at heart. However, not all labour organizations have lined up behind the NDP. The Conservative party has courted the labour vote and secured endorsements from the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, and various locals of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
The NDP retains support from several major Canadian unions, however. Endorsements for the NDP have come from Canada’s largest union, CUPE, as well as the Amalgamated Transit Union and the United Steelworkers. The NDP says the unions endorsing them represent more than one million workers.
The party, led by Jagmeet Singh, has promised to strengthen public health care by providing a one per cent boost to Canada Health Transfers for provinces that commit to action and publicly report on their progress on recruiting and retaining doctors and nurses. They have also promised to deliver on a universal pharmacare program and expand mental health coverage.
In the fight against rising cost-of-living, the NDP has promised to impose rent control and other tenant protection measures as well as ban predatory financial landlords from buying any existing purpose-built rental apartments and any of Canada’s existing 650,000 social housing units. For groceries and other essentials, the party has pledged to impose a price cap on food items like pasta and frozen vegetables. They also are promising to permanently remove GST tax on grocery store meals, diapers, strollers and monthly cell, internet and home heating bills.
On the topic of taxes, the party has also pledged to cut taxes on low and middle income Canadians while increasing taxes on the wealthiest households and highest profiting corporations.
While the NDP is often associated with the labour movement, that relationship has not always been strong at the rank-and-file level, according to a report done by The Conversation. As such, the party lags behind the Liberals and Conservatives in the polls which makes an NDP government unlikely to materialize. Nevertheless, the NDP’s endorsing unions caution against strategic voting.
Bloc Quebecois
The Bloc has fought for workers’ interests in the past but focuses on the needs of Quebec workers. Given this focus, the Bloc’s platform focuses on what its MPs would do in Parliament rather than what the party would do if it were to make up the next government.
Led by Yves-François Blanchet, the Bloc Quebecois has pledged to modify the eligibility criteria for EI, speed up the processing time for claims, ease access and enhance benefits. The Bloc said they will also demand that the federal government absorb the pandemic-related debt of the EI fund, rather than shifting its responsibilities onto workers.
On the topic of cost-of-living, the Bloc has pledged to introduce a bill to increase Old Age Security (OAS) benefits by 10 per cent. They have also promised to review the calculation of the Child Benefit to better adapt it to blended families by basing it on the income of the parents responsible for the children, rather than the total household income. Like the NDP, the Bloc wants to permanently change GST rules by abolishing the GST on all second-hand goods.
The Bloc has also promised to advocate for the right to repair and fight against planned obsolescence, a promise not seen in the platforms of the Liberals, NDP or Conservatives.
The Bloc has also expressed a desire to protect industries against Trump’s tariffs. However, their goal is to protect Quebec industries, not the industries of Canada as a whole.
“The aluminum targeted by these threats and tariffs is Quebec’s,” the party’s platform reads in French. “The aerospace industry under fire is ours. The farmers whose market share Washington is eyeing are our dairy, egg, and poultry producers, in our regions. The same goes for critical minerals, softwood lumber, clean energy, coastal fisheries, culture, and the arts.”
Green Party
The Green Party holds just 3.2 per cent of ballot support. While the party often holds only a handful of seats in the House of Commons, unions like the Public Service Alliance of Canada and CUPE have acknowledged that it supports labour interests.
In their platform, the Greens pledge to dramatically reduce taxes for Canadians earning $100,000 or less, close loopholes, eliminate unfair subsidies, and ensure large corporations and the wealthiest Canadians contribute their fair share. The party says that by implementing a progressive wealth tax, strengthening corporate taxation, and cracking down on tax evasion, they will recover billions in revenue to invest directly into vital public services, infrastructure, and programs.
The party has also promised to actively protect and strengthen workers’ right to unionize, and make sure collective bargaining helps secure fair pay, safer workplaces, and better working conditions. They say they’ll enforce pay equity, crack down on gig economy exploitation, and boost protections against workplace abuse. While this issue has been dwarfed by fears related to tariff-induced job losses, the Greens have also promised to introduce strong rules for jobs affected by AI and automation.
The Green Party has laid out its plans for tackling the cost-of-living crisis. Their promises include building permanently affordable homes over seven years with an aim to triple Canada’s social housing stock.
They have also pledged to strengthen income supports like the Canada Disability Benefit and introduce the End Poverty Supplement which would be delivered via the Canada Child Benefit.
Like the NDP, the Greens also plan to protect public health care and increase access to doctors. The party promised to implement plans that will seek to expand community health clinics and train the next generation of health workers, especially in rural, remote, and underserved regions. They also promise to implement coverage for mental health care, pharmacare and dental care.
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative party of Canada is the Liberal Party’s main competition this election. In the beginning of this year, the Conservatives were leading in the polls but the party lost its lead as it struggled to adjust its campaign strategy to the changes in the Liberal Party and the threat of Donald Trump.
While the Conservatives enjoy a few union endorsements from trade unions like International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, other labour organizations like the Canadian Labour Congress remain vehemently opposed to the party and its leader, Pierre Poilievre.
The party has promised to lower income tax for all earners. While all taxpayers will see a tax cut, the party asserts that average hard working Canadians will save the most in percentage terms. The party says these tax cuts will also create jobs which will “help build Canada’s economic fortress against American threats.”
The Conservatives have also promised to “unleash Canadian resources” by repealing restrictions on pipeline building and fulfilling their catchphrase promise to “axe the carbon tax.”
For job creation, the conservatives have prioritized skilled trades jobs. Their “boots not suits” plan aims to train 350,000 new trades workers by reintroducing apprenticeship grants and funding training halls.
While the party has made some promises that could benefit trade workers. Pierre Poilievre remains a decisive figure and his track record has put off many labour leaders and activists.
In 2023, the Conservative Party’s policy book included Right to Work (RTW) legislation. This legislation would allow workers to benefit from union wins without paying dues to the union itself. A US study by their Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System found that RTW legislation resulted in a four per cent wage drop for workers and a decrease in unionization.
Bea Bruske, the president of the Canadian Labour Congress, the country’s largest labour organization, noted in 2023 that Pierre Poilievre has served in past Conservative governments and did little to stop cuts to much needed services.
“Pierre Poilievre cannot be trusted now to repair our broken health care system, help struggling families or stand up for workers,” she said.
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