With wages that have largely failed to keep up with inflation, many Canadians have come out of the COVID-19 pandemic with bolder demands for the quality of work that they hope to do, as well as the benefits and compensation they wish to receive.
This spring, federal public servants made headlines when they led the largest strike in Canadian history. That action was followed by a port worker strike in British Columbia, a strike by 3,000 Metro grocery workers in Toronto, which wrapped up this week, and ongoing strike action from Ontario's public broadcaster.
And the wave of job actions is far from over. Elementary school teachers in Ontario are planning to take a strike vote this fall, while Canadian workers at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate over the weekend, to name a few.
So how do Canadians feel about labour unions and the value they bring to workers? A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute hopes to shed some light on those perceptions.
Released Friday, just days before Labour Day, the survey of 2,023 Canadian adults found that three-in-five people feel that unions have had a positive impact for the workers they represent — approximately three times as many as the number of people who believe unions have had a negative impact.
Canadians are more divided when considering the impact of unions on the country’s economy as a whole, the survey notes. Forty per cent of people surveyed said the cost-benefit calculation has been positive, while 30 per cent said it has been negative.
In most of the country, the majority of people believe the right to strike and bargain for better work conditions is more important than the risk of damage to Canada’s economy. Only in Saskatchewan was this found to be the reverse.
Most workers said union membership has been a plus. Roughly 62 per cent of members of public sector unions and 63 per cent of members of private sector unions indicated that they’re satisfied with the representation they receive. Half as many said they’re dissatisfied.
Many union members have turned to a union-representative for advice on a work-related issue. Roughly one-in-five (22 per cent of people) surveyed said they have done this more than once and two-in-five (39 per cent) said they have done this once or twice.
Of those who spoke to a representative, 30 per cent said they felt totally supported during this process, 38 per cent said they felt mostly supported and 33 per cent said their representative made them feel unsupported.
Women are more likely to feel they did not receive adequate support than men, the survey found, with 36 per cent and 30 per cent expressing this respectively.
When discussing the benefits of labour unions, people often weigh the cost of union membership against the benefits that collective action can deliver.
Approximately one-in-five union members surveyed said they receive a huge benefit in return for their membership dues, while closer to two-in-five (38 per cent) said this is more of a benefit than cost.
On the flipside, roughly two-in-five (39 per cent) said they do not think they receive enough of a benefit to cancel out the cost of their membership dues. Public and private sector union members are equally likely to say this.
The survey notes that women are more likely than men to say they do not receive enough benefit for the cost associated with union membership (47 per cent versus 34 per cent respectively).
The survey also asked participants how they felt about the power of organized labour in Canada.
According to Statistics Canada, there have been 481 work stoppages across the country since 2021, resulting in more than 5.1 million lost work days — the most lost work days in a three-year period since 2003-05.
Overall, 35 per cent said the power of organized labour has increased in the past decade or so. One-quarter (25 per cent) of Canadians said it has decreased.
Current union members were divided, the survey found, with 28 per cent saying union power has increased and 31 per cent saying it has decreased.
Approximately 39 per cent of Canadians said unions are too powerful in Canada, compared to 20 per cent who believe they are not as powerful as they should be, the survey states, noting that assessments of union power vary across party lines.
When asked which of the main federal political parties they think is currently best suited to improve their situation, 49 per cent of public sector union members said the NDP, traditionally associated with organized labour, is the best option — reflecting a 31-point advantage over the next option chosen.
Meanwhile, workers in private sector unions are less certain. Approximately one-third (32 per cent) surveyed said the Conservative Party would be best, one-third chose the NDP (32 per cent) and 26 per cent picked the governing Liberal Party.
The Angus Reid Institute conducted the online survey from Aug. 25 to 29 among a random sample of 2,023 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum.
For comparative purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points, 19 times out of 20, according to the national, non-profit organization.
The survey and complete list of findings are available online.
Diminished but not deterred, Hamas is still putting up a fight after seven brutal months of war with Israel, regrouping in some of the hardest-hit areas in northern Gaza and resuming rocket attacks into nearby Israeli communities.
A stage collapsed at a Mexican election campaign rally on Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring dozens as high winds tore apart the large, concert-style structure, scattering politicians and attendees.
Eating more ultraprocessed foods is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and stroke, even if a person is trying to adhere to a Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet or the MIND diet, a new study found.
Many of the more seriously injured people who were on the Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence need operations on their spines, a Bangkok hospital said Thursday.
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
Researchers have developed the world's first algorithm powered by artificial intelligence to identify children with undiagnosed rare genetic disorders.
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
A new survey found a majority of Canadian respondents plan to stay within the country on their next trip amidst high costs of living.
A new survey found a majority of Canadian respondents plan to stay within the country on their next trip amidst high costs of living.
A year after admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki was arrested for killing four Indigenous women, investigators learned he was writing to a ‘pen pal’ inmate in Nova Scotia – handwritten letters that are now being entered as evidence in his trial.
A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a shooting at a Jewish school in Montreal last fall.
An Indigenous employee with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) in Regina is taking up the fight against what he describes as systemic racism by his employer.
Montreal police are investigating a triple homicide after three young people were stabbed to death in an alleyway Tuesday evening. The killings mark a particularly violent period of the year so far, with seven homicides recorded since May 12.
Canada and the United States are suspending all fishing for Canadian-origin Yukon River chinook salmon for seven years in an attempt to protect the dwindling species.
A stage collapsed at a Mexican election campaign rally on Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring dozens as high winds tore apart the large, concert-style structure, scattering politicians and attendees.
Many of the more seriously injured people who were on the Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence need operations on their spines, a Bangkok hospital said Thursday.
A group representing the families of hostages held in Gaza has released new video footage showing Hamas' capture of five female Israeli soldiers near the Gaza border on Oct. 7.
The New York state Senate passed a bill to explicitly allow evidence of prior sexual offenses in sex crimes cases, a move to change the legal standard Harvey Weinstein used to overturn his rape conviction.
Passengers on a Singapore Airlines flight hit by severe turbulence on Tuesday described a sudden, dramatic drop as 'all hell broke loose' on board the Boeing airliner carrying 229 passengers and crew.
Nikki Haley said Wednesday that she will be voting for Donald Trump in the general election, a notable show of support given their intense and often personal rivalry during the Republican primary calendar.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says international students will be able to work off-campus for up to 24 hours per week starting in September.
While Canada is one of the top contributors to foreign aid among some of the world's richest countries, a fifth of the spending never leaves Canada's borders.
The NDP has accused the government of bungling measures introduced months ago that were meant to bring relatives of Canadians from conflict zones in Sudan and the Gaza Strip to safety.
Thousands of Canadians live each year with a devastating diagnosis: ALS. The condition, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, currently has no cure, but that could change after a promising breakthrough in Canadian research.
Families of the more than 60,000 children seeking services through the Ontario Autism Program say it is slow — a boy in Thorn Hill, Ont., has been on the wait-list for more than 2 1/2 years — that it is not truly needs based, that a lack of service providers means that even with money in hand some families can't find help, and that there is almost no transparency.
Eating more ultraprocessed foods is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and stroke, even if a person is trying to adhere to a Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet or the MIND diet, a new study found.
The surge in Canada's tick population is linked to recent changes in our climate, according to Mount Allison University biology professor Vett Lloyd.
A Michigan farmworker has been diagnosed with bird flu — the second human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows.
The sun has a powerful magnetic field that creates sunspots on the star's surface and unleashes solar storms such as the one that bathed much of the planet in beautiful auroras this month.
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
Nashville councilmembers have rejected plans for a glowing sign to be erected at Morgan Wallen's new bar along the city's neon-lit strip of honky tonks, citing his use of a racial slur that caused controversy in 2021 and recent criminal charges accusing the country star of throwing a chair off a rooftop near two police officers.
The Writers Guild of Canada has ratified a new three-year contract that increases pay and implements artificial intelligence protections for writers, story editors and story consultants.
Nvidia on Wednesday overshot Wall Street estimates as its profit skyrocketed, bolstered by the chip-making dominance that has made the company an icon of the artificial intelligence boom.
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
The Writers Guild of Canada has ratified a new three-year contract that increases pay and implements artificial intelligence protections for writers, story editors and story consultants.
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
A private island on Nova Scotia’s South Shore has been listed for sale with a $11.5-million USD price tag.
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
The WNBA is finally, officially, coming to Toronto.
Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks is this season's Jack Adams Award winner as the NHL's coach of the year.
Sheldon Keefe has been hired as the head coach of the New Jersey Devils.
BMW and Ethiopian-American artist Julie Mehretu unveiled her newest 'Art Car' at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, France.
Interpol says more than 200 stolen Canadian vehicles have been found each week across the globe since February.
California could eventually join the European Union in requiring all new cars to alert drivers when they break the speed limit.
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A pedestrian died after being hit by a train going through Langley on Wednesday afternoon, authorities have confirmed.
They are the sounds of progress and the sights that represent hope. They are the beginnings of new construction in Lytton that will bring people home.
The cost of a plan to eradicate an invasive species of deer from Sidney Island just off the coast of Vancouver Island has ballooned.
The WNBA is finally, officially, coming to Toronto.
A new survey found a majority of Canadian respondents plan to stay within the country on their next trip amidst high costs of living.
Two male victims were rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition following a shooting at a school parking lot in Mississauga late Wednesday night.
While rainfall is helping ease short-term drought concerns in southern Alberta, the region will need much more precipitation to keep moisture levels sufficient through the summer.
A new Calgary program could come as early as next month to incentivize safety in secondary suite development as the city aims to boost its housing supply.
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
A report prepared for a joint meeting of the Transit Commission and the LRT Subcommittee on May 31 does not contain any reference to an opening date for the delayed north-south Trillium Line, but it does offer clues into how much longer work could take.
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
A 35-year-old Gatineau man is facing charges after police in Gatineau, Que. discovered a stolen vehicle trafficking network at a local garage and recovered 11 stolen vehicles.
For more than a year, an urn holding the ashes of Bridget Heffernan's brother has remained in her Montreal-area home instead of being buried in the plot at Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery where her family members have been laid to rest for nearly a century.
Some tenants in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighbourhood are bracing for a sweltering summer. Their building on Monkland Avenue is not allowing them to turn on air conditioning because of repairs to their balconies. The repair work is expected to last all summer.
The thunderstorms that swept through Quebec caused numerous power outages in the province.
Several business owners at Edmonton's Westmount Shopping Centre say they've been given only 30-days notice to find a new location.
The Dallas Stars have a committed, well-balanced attack heading into Thursday's Western Conference final opener against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the high-flying Edmonton Oilers.
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
An RCMP officer and her service dog found a missing four-year-old boy in the area of Memramcook, N.B., Monday evening.
A Moncton, N.B., man is facing numerous charges – including drug trafficking – after police arrested him for allegedly stealing a fuel truck and rolling it over on a Nova Scotia highway on Sunday.
A new plane is transporting hundreds of non-critical patients to Halifax, saving time and keeping ambulances in their communities.
A year after admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki was arrested for killing four Indigenous women, investigators learned he was writing to a ‘pen pal’ inmate in Nova Scotia – handwritten letters that are now being entered as evidence in his trial.
Manitobans are being warned about a major weather event heading to the southeast part of the province that could bring between 50 and 60 millimetres of rain.
An 18-year-old Winnipegger who was shot two years ago at the Red River Ex has now filed a lawsuit related to the incident.
Two Regina city councillors put forward a motion to rename Dewdney Avenue during Wednesday's regular meeting at city hall.
An Indigenous employee with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) in Regina is taking up the fight against what he describes as systemic racism by his employer.
A Regina man is in custody following a police operation that involved SWAT in North Central Regina on Tuesday.
Big changes are coming to Waterloo Region waste collection.
A six-vehicle crash brought traffic to a standstill in the westbound lanes of Highway 401 through Cambridge on Wednesday morning.
Maple Leaf Foods announced Wednesday that it is closing its Brantford, Ont. plant in early 2025.
The mayor of Cumberland House says he’s considering declaring a state of emergency over the deteriorating condition of the only highway in and out of the village.
The Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation (JPCHF) and the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) are looking to change pediatric care in the province for years to come.
Lanes were closed on an overpass at Idywyld Drive and 51st Street on Wednesday morning after a semi-truck overturned, spilling a pile of lumber into the ditch.
An 81-year-old man has been charged with criminal harassment of a city councillor in Sudbury.
Eating more ultraprocessed foods is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and stroke, even if a person is trying to adhere to a Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet or the MIND diet, a new study found.
Ontario Provincial Police are investigating two hate crime incidents this month at a northern Ontario high school.
On Wednesday, the Civic Works Committee recommended holding a public meeting in July about whether to further restrict the hours when Londoners can use gas-powered lawn mowers, weed trimmers and leaf blowers.
The slow rollout of London’s Whole of Community Response to Homelessness is now being openly discussed by city leaders less than a year and a half after its launch.
Three teens are facing multiple charges after allegedly throwing items at shoppers, assaulting an employee and an officer, and firing an imitation weapon at a west end grocery store on Tuesday night.
Environment Canada has lifted a Tornado warning for Simcoe County.
A Barrie couple who lost their home in 2021 to a tornado that devastated a south-end neighbourhood spent an unforgettable day as guests at Buckingham Palace.
Severe storms rolled into central Ontario on Wednesday, with Environment Canada warning about 120 kilometres per hour winds that had the potential to produce a tornado.
Windsor police are hoping the public can help identify the people and vehicles they believe to be involved in a shots fired investigation in Windsor on Sunday.
In what is being billed as an 'example of anti-Palestinian racism in Windsor,' a video circulating on social media shows a young woman denied entry to a St. Clair College facility for wearing a keffiyeh.
Ryan Taylor, 35, has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of second-degree murder for the death of 38 year old Thomas 'TJ' McIntyre. A jury of five women and seven men learned Wednesday the broad strokes of the prosecution’s case against Taylor.
As 18-year-old Sidney McIntyre-Starko lay dying from a fentanyl overdose, several of her University of Victoria classmates watched helplessly, not recognizing what happened to her or how to perform CPR.
The cost of a plan to eradicate an invasive species of deer from Sidney Island just off the coast of Vancouver Island has ballooned.
A 49-year-old tow truck driver is dead after he suffered a medical emergency and drove off the highway Tuesday near Victoria.
One person is dead after a fight in Penticton early Sunday morning, according to authorities.
A suspect is at large after robbing a convenience store at gunpoint in Merritt, B.C., Friday, according to local police.
After four targeted shootings in four days, Mounties in Kamloops are taking the unusual step of warning the public about two men they believe are likely to be targeted in future violent incidents.
Alberta received a D- grade on Food Bank Canada’s annual poverty report card – a mark that did not come as a surprise for many organizations in Lethbridge.
Alberta sheriffs have closed a problem property in Medicine Hat, saying officers were frequently called to the home because of drug activity and violence.
Lethbridge police hit the road over the May long weekend, as part of an ongoing traffic enforcement project.
From paper and pen to tablets and computers, staff at the Greater Sudbury hospital are preparing for what they say is one of the biggest changes to happen to the hospital in decades.
Daily security patrols are returning to Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.’s downtown this summer. City council recently approved a pilot program that will see security patrols mid-day and in the evenings.
A U.S. citizen is facing impaired driving and other charges following an incident May 20 in Sault Ste. Marie.
79-year-old Madonna Wilkinson has been playing the accordion since she was 15, when she picked one up that had been left behind at one of her parents' rollicking parties in the oceanside town about 25 kilometres north of St. John's, N.L. She has played Sunday masses and St. Patrick's Day parties, and community events of all kinds.
Canada's new $10-a-day child care program is expanding, but there's growing evidence that demand for the program is rising even faster, leaving many parents on the outside looking in.
A new study shows an Atlantic salmon population in southern Newfoundland is disappearing, and it says nearby aquaculture operations are a likely contributor to the decline.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
