February 5,2026
RED FM News Desk
Canadian labour leaders say Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government has not been sufficiently open about the progress of trade negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
Leaders from both private- and public-sector unions are meeting in Ottawa ahead of the upcoming review of Canada’s free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico.
The CTV News report says they are urging the federal government to adopt a “worker-first” economic strategy in response to Trump’s prolonged trade war with Canada, which has hit industries such as forestry, steel and auto manufacturing particularly hard.
Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske says workers must have a seat at the decision-making table and that government outreach should be meaningful — not a token consultation after key decisions have already been made behind closed doors.
Unifor national president Lana Payne says workers need to be central to what she calls a genuine “Team Canada” approach to countering the trade war. She also says Canada made the right decision by refusing to sign what she described as a “bad trade deal” last year, unlike some other countries that did so while facing steep tariffs.
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