PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said in a statement on Labour Day: “From bricklayers and welders, to nurses and teachers, to carpenters and millwrights, Canada’s engine has been – and always will be – its workers. Today, on Labour Day, we honour their legacy of hard work, resilience, and progress.

“A strong middle class doesn’t happen by accident. The eight-hour workday; weekends off; old age security; universal healthcare; good-paying, fulfilling, and dignified work – none of these protections and programs were given. None of them were guaranteed. None of them were inevitable. They were won. And they were won by workers.

“Workers built the middle class. That’s why our government will always have their backs. We passed the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act so that workers have a seat at the table as we build a green economy right here in Canada. We passed historic anti-scab legislation which banned replacement workers because they tilt the playing field and enable employers to walk away from the bargaining table, where the best deals are made. We’ve made it clear that if companies want full access to our tax credits for clean technology, clean electricity, clean hydrogen, and carbon capture utilization and storage, they need to pay workers a meaningful wage and have a responsibility to support the next generation of skilled workers through apprenticeships.

“But taking care of workers goes beyond just the workplace. So, we introduced $10-a-day child care, which is saving families up to $14,000 per child, every year. We’re setting up the National School Food Program, which will help feed more children and reduce grocery bills. We’re pushing ahead on national pharmacare, which will make insulin free for every Canadian who needs it, and providing free prescription contraceptives, because we not only believe in a woman’s right to choose – we act on it. And our Canadian Dental Care Plan has already helped over half a million previously uninsured Canadians get the dental care they deserve.

“These are important victories for Canadians. For families. For the middle class. And they wouldn’t be possible without workers. We will keep fighting for and alongside workers – because when they succeed, the middle class succeeds, and Canada succeeds.

“As we celebrate Labour Day, let’s remember the hard-fought wins that Canada’s workers secured for our success, and let’s work together to make the best country in the world even better.”

PREMIER David Eby said: “Workers built this province. Every day, we rely on workers to drive buses, to teach our kids, to take care of us in hospital. Workers make the goods we use, keep store shelves filled and provide the day-to-day services on which we all rely. Today, on Labour Day, we celebrate the contributions of working people to our economy and our society.

“Organized labour is responsible for creating the beneficial working conditions we too often take for granted: the eight-hour workday, paid vacations and statutory holidays like today, as it has been in Canada since 1894. Labour has also fought for universal health care, equity in wages and safer working conditions.

“By putting working people first, we are growing a strong economy here in B.C. – with some of the fastest growing wages and the second-lowest unemployment in the country.

“Our government is building this province – the homes, schools, hospitals, and roads working people rely on. And we’re hiring the nurses, teachers, construction workers and so many others who are helping build a better B.C. for everyone. To all of them, thank you for the work you are doing and will continue to do. We can’t stop now, because we know working families are facing big challenges.

“Workers are the backbone of our economy, producing goods and providing services for all of us. As we celebrate Labour Day with family, friends, neighbours and co-workers, let’s continue to build a B.C. that works better for workers and where no one is left behind. Happy Labour Day!”

Labour Minister Harry Bains added: “Happy Labour Day everyone! I hope you enjoy this well-deserved holiday, and you take time to reflect on the rights and protections workers have fought for over the years.

“Let’s continue working together to make progress for working people, and to protect the improvements previously put in place, as we build an economy that is inclusive and works for everyone.

“As this is my last Labour Day as B.C.’s Minister of Labour, I can tell you it has been an honour of a lifetime to support workers’ rights for the last seven years. This has made B.C. a leader in a number of areas, including most recently our amendments to provide employment standards and workers’ compensation coverage for ride-hail and delivery services workers starting tomorrow.”

FEDERAL NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said: “This year, as workers rise up for better wages, safer working conditions and to fight back against corporate greed, this Labour Day is of critical importance.

Workers built this country. Unions fought for and delivered the eight-hour workday, legislation that protects your safety, parental leave and so much more. The labour movement has made strides that have benefitted all Canadians and Canada is a better place to live as a result.

Over the past few years, workers have been bearing the brunt of an inflation crisis they didn’t cause. Instead of helping them, Trudeau’s Liberals and Poilievre’s Conservatives have sided with rich CEOs every single time. Most recently, the Liberals undermined and attacked rail workers as a gift to big and multinational corporations, while Poilievre was complicit in his silence. This dangerous precedent shows CEOs know that Trudeau’s Liberals and Poilievre’s Conservatives will reward corporations that refuse to bargain in good faith.

With Trudeau and Poilievre, corporations win and workers lose.

Last time they were in government, Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives shoveled money to the big bosses. They gave away $60 billion in tax cuts and giveaways for corporations, and paid for it with cuts for workers and the middle class. They abandoned working people when they needed help the most.

It’s time for a fightback from the NDP and unions.

This year, we secured anti-scab legislation and 10 paid sick days for all federally regulated workers, and we’re ready to work with unions to deliver so much more.

On this Labour Day, and every day, New Democrats stand in solidarity with workers and their unions, who use their power to secure a better, safer life for each other.”