Issue 87 – 26, February 1, 2026
Black History Month Celebrates 30 years
February is a special month called Black History Month. Every year, people across Canada celebrate this month to honor and remember the important contributions of Black people in our country and communities.
Black History Month is a time to learn about the history, achievements, and struggles of Black Canadians. It’s also a time to recognize the many ways Black people have helped shape Canada’s society, culture, and economy.
This year, the theme for Black History Month is, Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations - From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries.”
This theme celebrates 30 years of Black History Month in Canada. It highlights the amazing work done by Black Canadians over the years, from those who fought for civil rights and social justice, to the young leaders and innovators of tomorrow. It’s about recognizing the resilience, progress, and bright future of Black Canadians.
Black history is more than just the past. It’s about understanding how Black Canadians have helped build Canada and how they continue to do so today. Celebrating Black History Month helps us reflect on the achievements of Black communities and inspires us to keep working for fairness and equality.
This Black History Month, we encourage everyone to get involved. Attend local celebrations or events organized by your union or community. Learn about the history and achievements of Black Canadians. Together, we can support justice, equality, and fairness for all workers.
Black History Month is a special time to celebrate the contributions of Black Canadians. It reminds us of the importance of fighting for justice and creating a society where everyone has equal opportunities. As union members and retirees, we can continue to support this important cause and honor the legacy of Black leaders, past, present, and future.
Black workers have played a big role in building our labour movement and CURC.
NDP Leadership
Following the debate on the NDP leadership, activists are suggesting that we should get back to our socialist roots, suggesting we may have left them.
The NDP was founded in 1932 as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). Back then, the world was going through tough times because of the Great Depression, and many Canadians wanted a government that would help workers, farmers, and ordinary families. The CCF was created to push for social reforms like public healthcare, better workers’ rights, and social safety nets.
The start of the CCF meant the journey of Canada has long been different from the United States because Canada has a stronger tradition of social democracy, meaning it supports policies that help ordinary people, like good public healthcare, education, pensions, and workers’ rights.
In 1961, the CCF changed its name to the New Democratic Party (NDP). Since then, the party has been a voice for progressives, workers and people who want to make society more equal and caring.
In its early years, the NDP was more openly socialist and focused on big reforms like national healthcare and strong workers’ protections, pensions. Leaders like Tommy Douglas, often called the “Father of Medicare,” pushed for free healthcare that became a model for the world. However, in recent decades, the party’s direction has shifted. Sometimes, the NDP has adopted more moderate policies to appeal to a wider range of voters.
Over the decades, the NDP has never been the main government party, but it has often influenced policies by working with other parties or holding the balance of power.
Unlike many European countries, Canada has never had a big social democratic party that controls the whole country. Instead, the NDP’s influence has come from working with other parties and taking advantage of Canada’s political system. For example, when the Liberals have needed support from the NDP in Parliament, they have sometimes agreed to introduce policies like universal healthcare and public pensions.
The NDP was the only party standing against the move by the Conservatives and the Liberals to more economic integration with the United States. The Canadian Labour movement in the late eighties and early nineties fought hard along side the NDP for a different direction. Today, Canadians are looking for that leadership of the NDP and Labour working together to untangle the mess and keep us on the progressive path of our history.
The current NDP leadership contest in Canada is very important because it shows how the country’s politics may change in the future. The Conservative party this weekend passed policies attacking universal healthcare, immigration, abortion, temporary foreign workers program, diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. The Liberals over the last several months have been cancelling progressive programs of the Trudeau government and implementing conservative economic and environmental talking points.
The NDP leadership race is entering the decision on which candidate, Rob Ashton, Tanille Johnston, Avi Lewis, Heather McPherson, and Tony McQuail, should be selected.
Rob Ashton wants to focus on grassroots activism, empowering labour and local communities to fight for labour and human rights, social and environmental change.
Tenille Johnston is a younger candidate, proud first nations woman who wants to bring new ideas and connect with young voters on issues like climate change and social justice.
Avi Lewis promotes bold climate action and economic reforms that challenge the current system.
Heather McPherson emphasizes fighting for social programs like healthcare, education, and Indigenous rights, human rights, building on her experience in Parliament.
Tony McPhail focuses on workers’ rights, agriculture, social programs, and fighting inequality.
Our roots are strong, the NDP’s history shows a party that has always been a voice for those who want a better, fairer society.
This leadership race is about choosing a leader to defend our social programs, workers rights, and articulate the policies of the NDP, and take a strong role in Canadian politics. Throughout our history, the NDP has played a vital role in pushing Canada to the left, even without forming the government. We struggled between different ideas about how society should be organized, whether through big reforms, moderate policies, or something in between. We have been an important party shaping this debate and have greatly influenced Canada’s policies and values over the last ninety years.
For Canadians who care about fairness, inclusion, community, worker’s rights and the environment, this contest is incredibly important, will influence workers and union retirees future for many years to come.
Websites
Rob Aston - Rob for NDP leader - Rob Ashton
Tanille Johnston - Vote Tanille for NDP Leader | Join the Movement Today
Avi Lewis - Lewis for Leader - Avi Lewis for NDP Leader
Heather McPherson - Heather McPherson for Leader of Canada's NDP
Tony McQuail - Tony McQuail Green Progressive
Measuring Seniors Poverty
Earlier this year, Sunday Edition reported on the government of Canada report on how many people are living in poverty. Poverty means not having enough money to buy things like food, housing, and clothes.
To see how many people are in poverty, Canada uses something called the Market Basket Measure (MBM). This measure looks at how much money a family needs to buy a simple set of things like food, clothes, shelter, transportation, and other important items. If a family’s income is less than this amount, they are living in poverty.
The MBM is different for each region in Canada because costs like rent and food can be more expensive in some areas. The government updates these measurements regularly to make sure they are accurate.
The MBM is useful, but it doesn’t include everyone. For example, it doesn’t measure poverty for people who live on reserves, people in hospitals or shelters, or those who are homeless. Also, some groups, like seniors, might experience poverty differently.
Understanding how many people are in poverty helps the government create better programs to help. It also shows where more help is needed, like for seniors who might be at risk. By measuring poverty carefully, Canada can work toward making sure everyone, especially seniors, has enough resources to live a good life.
Many seniors live on pensions or savings, and their needs are different from younger families. For example, seniors often need more healthcare and medication. They may also spend more on things like heating in winter because they are more vulnerable to cold.
The basket of goods used to measure poverty should include items that seniors need. If it doesn't, we will underestimate how many seniors are in poverty. For example:
Health care: Seniors often need medicines, doctor visits, and special health services that cost money.
Housing: Some seniors live alone and need affordable housing or help with rent.
Transportation: Seniors might need accessible transportation to get to appointments or buy groceries.
Food: Older adults may have special dietary needs or spend more on healthy food.
Other needs: Items like home help, hearing aids, glasses, or mobility devices may be important for seniors.
If the basket doesn’t include these things, it won’t show the real costs seniors face. This is why the basket must be adjusted to reflect what seniors need to live comfortably and healthily. We can do better at helping seniors and everyone living in poverty. Using different ways to measure poverty can give a clearer picture of who needs help.
Poverty is a big problem for many seniors in Canada. By including seniors’ specific needs in the basket, we get a clearer picture of the real costs they face. This way, policies can be designed to ensure all seniors have enough money for health care, housing, and transportation.
Read more - Canadian governments need a new way to measure poverty