March 6 2025

March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD) and is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating achieving gender equality. This IWD, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is joining other unions and women’s rights organizations to encourage its members and all Canadians to join the CLC’s campaign Rise Up! For Gender Justice!

The campaign is drawing attention to the gendered impacts of the affordability crisis in the lead up to a federal election. The affordability crisis is impacting women and gender-diverse people the hardest especially Indigenous, Black, Racialized, newcomer, young, 2SLGBTQI+ women and women with disabilities.

In Canada, 60% of minimum wage workers are women, food insecurity remains highest among female lone parent families, and 90% of families using emergency shelters are headed by single women. This is particularly poignant when you consider the origin of IWD stemming from women’s labour movements more than a century ago.

Along with struggling through the affordability crisis, women and gender-diverse people are facing an alarming rise in far-right extremism which seeks to eliminate women and gender-diverse rights and regress the progress that has been made in obtaining equity and strong human rights.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day and the accomplishments that have been made, we must at the same time commit to calling for real leadership from the next federal government. The government must ensure that progress towards justice continues and deal with the affordability crisis effectively with particular attention to women and gender diverse people.

As the world faces its most unstable time in decades it is truly time to Rise Up! for gender justice, human rights and workers’ rights!