Issue 91 – 26, March 1, 2026
International Women’s Day 2026: Rise Up for Gender
Every year, on March 8th, people around the world celebrate International Women’s Day. It’s a special day to recognize women’s achievements and to push for equality. This year, in 2026, the theme is “Rise Up for Gender Justice.” This means women and everyone who cares about fairness are working together to make sure women’s rights are protected and improved.
Gender justice means making sure women and gender-diverse people have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. It’s about fixing unfair rules and helping women succeed. Women still earn less than men, and many face challenges like violence, discrimination. Women in care jobs, like nurses, teachers, and caregivers, are especially affected because their work is often undervalued and poorly paid.
Women in unions and communities have been fighting for better rights for a long time. They have pushed for equal pay, safe homes, safe workplaces, safe communities, affordable childcare, and protections against violence.
Right now, women of all ages are facing many problems. Prices for food and rent are rising, and health care services are strained. Many women find it hard to pay for basic needs. This is especially true for Indigenous women, black women, immigrants, young women, older women, and women with disabilities. Many women often work in low-wage jobs and face more risks of violence and unfair treatment.
Older women face many challenges that are often overlooked or not fully understood. They are underrepresented in health research, which means we don’t have enough information about their specific health needs. Older women are also more likely to live alone, experience poverty, and face loneliness.
Many of these issues are made worse by gender and age discrimination, called gendered ageism, and problems like the gender pension gap. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the problems in long-term care homes showed how urgent it is to improve support for older women. Supporting older women to age in place, stay healthy, and be active in their communities is essential.
The government’s focus on trade agreements and tax cuts for the wealthy doesn’t help women. Instead, we need investments in the care economy, jobs that care for people, like health care and childcare.
On this International Women’s Day, unions and communities are Rising Up. We demand the government:
- Invest in the care economy to create good jobs.
- End violence and harassment against women.
- Fight for fair wages and equal pay.
- Protect women from cuts to public services and social programs.
- Make sure everyone has access to health care, childcare, safe homes, safe communities, and safe work environments.
Women and gender-diverse workers are leading the way. They are fighting for a fairer, more equal Canada. When we come together and raise our voices, we can make real changes. This International Women’s Day, let’s stand up for gender justice and push for a better future for all women and families.
A strong economy needs care jobs, good pay, and safe workplaces and communities for everyone. Together, we can build a country where everyone’s rights are respected and protected.
CLC Factsheet - Factsheet-2026-EN.pdf
Watch – The CLC will be live broadcasting from our CLC hosted parallel event at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) on March 11th at 8:30 a.m. EDT: Union Women Rise Up for Gender Justice! This event will include sharing how trade union women in Canada have strategically navigated legal systems to defend gains and advance gender justice, including using collective bargaining, grievance and arbitration, health and safety, pay and employment equity and human rights.
Pre-registration https://us02web.zoom.us/
Concerns About the BC Budget and Seniors
Recently, the government of British Columbia announced its new budget. While it includes some good plans, many people are worried about how it will affect senior citizens. Many changes in the budget will make life more expensive for seniors.
For example, the government increased the interest rates on a program called the property tax deferral. This program helps seniors who can't pay their property taxes right away. But now, because of the higher interest rates, seniors will have to pay about $200 more each year if they use this program. That could make it harder for seniors to stay in their own homes.
Dan Levitt, who is an independent Seniors Advocate, said, “This budget is not really for seniors in 2026. It doesn’t include things that could help them live better lives with more respect and dignity.”
Another concern is that the government added sales tax (called PST) to everyday items seniors use often, like landline phones, cable TV, yarn, and clothing repairs. This will make these things more expensive for seniors, who usually buy them regularly.
The budget also delays building new long-term care homes, seven new care homes, including one in Campbell River, will not be built for now. This means there will be fewer beds for seniors who need care. Experts say the government needs to build 2,000 new beds each year to help reduce waiting times and give seniors more options.
Some say the government is making it harder for seniors to live comfortably at home and is not doing enough. Others say, the budget makes it more expensive for seniors to stay in their own homes.
However, the government’s health minister, Brenda Bailey, says the budget still supports seniors because it keeps spending money on health care and education. She explains that many seniors use health services the most, so protecting health care helps them.
Experts say that delaying senior care can cause big problems in hospitals and make it harder for everyone to get the help they need. They believe the government should spend more money now to support seniors and build more care homes.
In summary, while the BC budget has some good points, many seniors and their advocates feel it does not do enough to help them. They want the government to do more to make sure seniors can live comfortably and receive the care they need.
Read more - BC-Budget-Consultation_2026_
Read more - COSCO-BC-2026_budget_media_
Debating who’s Better Off
Some believe that countries or places are doing better because they have higher economic numbers, like GDP per person. GDP per capita shows how much money is made in a country divided by how many people live there. But this number can be misleading. Just because a country makes a lot of money doesn’t mean everyone is happy or has a good quality of life.
This past week Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre generated debate over whether Canada is doing better economically than Alabama, based on their relative GDP per capita, others were arguing that our country’s economic performance and quality of life look much different when other factors are considered.
In fact, many experts say that doing better depends on more than just money. Factors like caring for others, sharing, family, and community play a big role in how better off people are.
The most well-known approach to constructing a more fulsome quality-of-life index is the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI). First published in 1990, the HDI assesses performance across a variety of criteria, including life expectancy, and assigns countries a score.
Country rankings are based on a three-year average of each population’s average assessment of their quality of life. Interdisciplinary experts from economics, psychology, sociology and beyond then seek to explain the variations across countries and over time using factors such as GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, a sense of freedom, generosity.
Each year the UN publishes a report called “The World Happiness Report” is the world’s foremost publication on global wellbeing and how to improve it. Combining wellbeing data from over 140 countries with high-quality analysis by world-leading researchers from a range of academic disciplines.
During COVID-19, people around the world started helping each other more. Even after the pandemic, acts of kindness are still happening more than before. When people help others, everyone benefits. Caring for others lifts both the giver and the receiver.
Helping others also makes the helpers happier, especially when they do it because they want to, not just to feel good. Acts of kindness have a big impact on how satisfied people feel with their lives.
Last year's UN report suggested the way people connect is by sharing meals. Eating with others makes people happier than eating alone. In fact, in the United States, more people are eating alone than ever before. This is a problem because eating together helps build friendships and support networks.
The same report suggested family is also important. In Latin American countries, families tend to live close together and share strong bonds. This helps everyone feel happier. Living alone can lead to feeling less happy, and larger households can sometimes cause stress.
Young people today are feeling lonelier. Many say they have no one to turn to for support. But studies also show that when young people learn that others are kind and caring, they feel happier and more connected.
When people are unhappy or lose hope, it can lead to serious problems like depression or even more serious situations.
Unhappiness can also cause political problems. When people don’t trust others and feel sad about their lives, they are more likely to support extreme political groups. Trust and happiness are linked to better societies.
A place is truly happy not just because of its money, but because of caring, sharing, strong family bonds, and trust among people. When we help each other and build supportive communities, everyone benefits. With anticipation for this year's upcoming report, we look forward to learning even more about what makes a place truly better off.
The International Day of Happiness commemorated every year on 20 March, also emphasises the importance of happiness and well-being as universal goals for all humankind. Declared by the United Nations General Assembly in resolution 66/281 on July 12, 2012, it calls on governments and peoples to prioritize comprehensive advancement over economic measurements.
The UN assumed the resolution declaring happiness is a human right and a fundamental goal, recognizing this in a predecessor twelve resolutions for equitable, inclusive, and sustainable economic development in 2011. First launched in 2013, it is aligned to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to eliminate poverty, reduce inequality, and promote protection.
Read more - International Day of Happiness | United Nations