A person in a safety vest holding a safety hat.
Join us for Off the Hill this month! Credit: Canva Credit: Canva

When politicians and economists say Canada is facing a labour shortage, what does this mean – and is this accurate? This month on our Off the Hill political panel, we’re breaking down this and other labour issues facing Canadians. 

Is Canada indeed facing a labour shortage? What issues are young workers facing? What issues are migrant workers facing? And in the age of AI, what does the future workforce look like? 

MP Matthew Green, economist Jim Stanford, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour Laura Walton, and researcher and policy analyst at the CCPA Véronique Sioufi will dissect all this and more on our upcoming Off the Hill panel. Co-hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies. 

Register today to reserve your spot and join us on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at 4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET. 

About our guests 

MP Matthew Green was first elected as Member of Parliament for Hamilton Centre in 2019 and re-elected in 2021. Previously, he served for the 2014-2018 terms as the Ward 3 Councillor, and first person of colour to be elected to Hamilton City Council. Matthew is honoured to be the NDP Critic for Labour, Critic for Employment and Workforce Development, and Critic for Ethics, and the Deputy Critic for Public Services and Procurement. He also serves as the Joint Chair for the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency. He strives to ensure that the working-class values of Hamilton are represented in Ottawa, and is committed to fighting for universal pharmacare, affordable housing, urgent action on the environment, racial justice, and the rights of Indigenous peoples. 

Laura Walton is the president of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), Canada’s largest provincial labour federation. The OFL represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. Laura previously served as the President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), which represents over 55,000 education workers across the province. In 2022, Laura led an historic strike that won unprecedented gains for OSCBU members and that led to the defeat of Bill 28, the provincial government’s landmark anti-labour legislation.

Jim Stanford is an economist and the director of the Centre for Future Work. The Centre for Future Work is a labour economics research institute with operations in Canada and Australia.

Véronique Sioufi is the racial and socio-economic equity researcher and policy analyst at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC. 

About Off the Hill 

Since 2019, Off the Hill has been rabble.ca’s live monthly panel. Through this series, we break down important national and international news stories through a progressive lens. 

In this series, we discuss how to mobilize and bring about progressive change in national politics — on and off Parliament Hill. Co-hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies.

Join us the third Wednesday of every month at 4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET. The live, digital show is one hour long – 45 minutes of moderated discussion followed by 15 minutes of audience participation.

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