Trudeau-Trump Summit: Protecting Workers Above All

Teamster Statement on Trudeau-Trump Summit

LAVAL, QC, Feb. 13, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Teamsters Canada is praising the Canadian Government on meeting with the Trump administration, and hoping both countries will continue working together to build on the current mutually beneficial trade relationship.

"Millions of workers owe their jobs to the free flow of goods between Canada and the United States," stated François Laporte, the President of Teamsters Canada. "Hundreds of thousands of good Teamster jobs on both sides of the border, especially in manufacturing and cross-border transportation, were created thanks to a stable trade relationship."

Teamsters broadly support the Canadian government's position on trade, which is understood to put the interests of workers and the middle class first. The union also supports Canada's willingness to retaliate should the U.S. impose new tariffs, as these would be mutually harmful.

Canada and the United States are each other's biggest customers; 35 states have Canada as their largest export market and the opposite is true of all Canadian provinces. There is no significant trade imbalance between the two countries.

Labour shut out of meetings

Teamsters salute initiatives like the roundtable discussion on women in the workforce. However, the union was alarmed that company bosses were the only ones invited to participate in the day's meetings. 

"I'd remind our leaders that a significant portion of the workforce is represented by unions," commented Laporte. "Keeping us out of the loop is guaranteed to lead to policies that worsen inequality and hurt working families."

Teamsters represent 115,000 members in Canada in all industries. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with which Teamsters Canada is affiliated, has 1.4 million members in North America.

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SOURCE Teamsters Canada