Canadian and Design Construction staff writer
Some of Canada’s major labour organizations are urging Ottawa to put workers at the centre of any renegotiation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement as preparations begin for the pact’s mandatory 2026 review.
Leaders met with Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister responsible for Canada–U.S. trade and intergovernmental affairs, for what they described as a high-level roundtable on the future of CUSMA amid rising trade tensions and renewed threats of U.S. tariffs.
Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske said unions delivered a “clear and urgent message” that Canada should not accept a revised trade deal that weakens domestic industry or costs Canadian jobs.
“Any deal that undermines Canadian jobs or weakens Canada’s ability to build its own economy would be worse than no deal at all,” Bruske said in a statement following the meeting. “The United States has increasingly abandoned the rules-based trading system, using trade pressure to weaken workers, destabilize supply chains, and advantage corporations.
“Canada must respond from a position of strength, not concession, and refuse to sacrifice workers to appease U.S. demands.”
Bruske was joined by leaders from several large manufacturing and building trades unions representing sectors heavily exposed to trade policy decisions, including auto manufacturing, construction and resource-based industries.
Unions warned the federal government against what they characterized as past mistakes in trade negotiations, arguing that Canada has seen domestic production and industrial capacity eroded through sectoral tariffs and trade concessions. They pointed to ongoing U.S. tariffs on industries such as automotive manufacturing and softwood lumber, which they said continue to cost Canadian jobs and strain local economies.
The Canadian Labour Congress is calling on Ottawa to pursue a “workers-first” trade approach that protects regulatory space for industrial policy, strengthens domestic manufacturing and supports supply-chain resilience. Labour leaders also said Canada must defend its ability to invest in future industries without trade rules being used to undercut wages, public services or workers’ rights.
At the negotiating table, unions said Canada should insist on strong, enforceable labour protections, including greater use of CUSMA’s Rapid Response Mechanism to address alleged labour rights violations across North America.
Labour leaders also pressed the government to involve unions directly in the negotiation process, arguing that workers and their representatives have deep, practical knowledge of the industries most affected by trade policy.
The message from unions, Bruske said, was unified: the upcoming CUSMA review should strengthen Canadian industries and working-class communities, not “hollow them out” in the rush to renew the agreement.
