Statement by Prime Minister Carney on Labour Day

 Statement by Prime Minister Carney on Labour Day

September 7, 2026
Ottawa, Ontario

“On Labour Day, we honour the workers who have built our country and celebrate the proud history of organised labour in Canada.

For generations, unions have made our economy stronger and our country fairer. They have fought for better pay, safer workplaces, pensions, benefits, and paid leave – ensuring that prosperity and opportunity are shared among the many. Because unions have always understood something fundamental: it is not just what we build, but how we build.

Today, in the face of a global rupture, Canada is building big again: new ports, mines, and energy corridors; millions more affordable homes; new roads, railways, and airports. And we are building it all in solidarity with Canadian workers.

That is why our government launched Team Canada Strong: to recruit, train, and hire up to 100,000 skilled trades workers by 2031, including through new investments in the Union Training and Innovation Program. And it is why, in the face of unjustified and unprovoked tariffs from the United States, we are stepping up to protect our workers and businesses – helping them retool, retrain, diversify, and build.

Canada is growing stronger and less dependent on any single partner. We are already giving ourselves far more than anyone can take away.

That is another thing unions have always understood: when we look out for one another, when we work together, when we are united, there is nothing Canadian workers cannot do.”