Good morning. Thank you for having us.
At the Confederation of National Trade Unions, or CNTU, we have three major concerns regarding Canada: social inequality, our economy and our democracy. Therefore, the recommendations we are making to you relate to each of these issues.
Social inequality in Canada is on the rise. In recent years, the wealthiest 20% of Canadians have become richer, while the poorest 20% have actually become poorer. So, in our view, we need to reform the tax system to make it more progressive in order to redistribute this wealth. We also need to review corporate taxation, and we must absolutely combat tax havens to ensure we have socially responsible companies.
Another way to combat inequality is to continue investing in social protections, education and health care. We also need social infrastructure, such as housing.
Furthermore, for the past 10 or 15 years, the CNTU and other labour unions have been repeating that we absolutely must overhaul the employment insurance system, which is not at all fulfilling the purpose for which it was created. In our economy, which is experiencing upheavals, this has become clear. The government is rolling out a host of pilot projects and temporary measures, some of which it extends and others it does not. We believe the entire system needs to be overhauled to ensure it functions properly, rather than relying on ad hoc measures.
Still on the topic of taxation and inequality, we are very disappointed to see that the capital gains tax was not raised as a previous government had announced. In our view, that would have been a good way to combat social inequality.
We are also concerned about our economy. We believe that Canada needs a strong industrial policy that recognizes the contribution of each of Canada's regions. Canada is a large country, and each region faces its own difficulties and challenges.
One recurring challenge concerns the forestry sector. Of course, the latest tariffs are hurting us, but we've been facing tariffs in the forestry sector for decades and have been in a trade dispute with our southern neighbour over this issue. It's time for us to adopt a strong industrial policy in this area to support, of course, workers, but above all, communities. There are places that are almost entirely dependent on a single industry. The closure of forestry companies or businesses linked to this industry would cause major difficulties for certain regions. Their entire social fabric risks unravelling if we do not address this issue.
Another issue that we truly view as an economic one is the environment. We know what's happening south of the border, but everywhere else, investments are being made to build a greener economy, because that is our true future for the coming decades. So, we must continue to invest in a green economy and in the technologies of the future.
I must tell you that, even though the CNTU understands that we have to deal with fossil fuels and that we can't get rid of them overnight, for us, they're part of the old economy. So, it's time to make the shift toward a new economy—a green economy, of course—while working with workers to ensure they don't bear the brunt of this transition. If we want this transition to succeed, we need to give ourselves time to do it and start right now, rather than acting solely out of urgency.
Another topic we'd like to discuss with you is culture. It is very important to protect our culture within our economy. This is a key factor in negotiations, particularly with our U.S. neighbour. It is very important for us to protect what makes Canada unique, such as the francophone community, among other things.
I think the trade conflict with the United States has made Canadians realize that they don't want Canada to become the 51st state of the United States. Therefore, we must support the francophone cultural industry, of course, as well as the non-francophone one.