Bill C-4 received Royal Assent on Friday, October 2, 2020, following passage in the Senate. We are pleased that this bill has been passed offering our members COVID-19 Leave options.

We were in regular communication with Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge as we heard from so many members who needed to know when the policy that aligns with these programs would be published. Air Canada has provided their official COVID-19 Leave policy and an FAQ document. These documents can be found on Aeronet in the HR Connex portal under the COVID-19 Mitigations Tab at the top of the page. The Air Canada Rouge policy will apparently mirror the Mainline policy and should be available soon. Your Union has followed up and will continue to do so until the policy is posted for all members.

If you intend to apply for the benefit provided by the Federal Government, it is important that you review the criteria of these benefits fully. We continue to work with CUPE National and are engaged in efforts to have a liaison with Employment and Social Development Canada who specialises in the unique nature of our workforce and to help navigate applications for these benefits. We will provide updates on this as soon as they are available to us.

If you have not already applied for the COVID-19 Leave, and you meet the eligibility requirements, you can do so by submitting a request through the eLeaves tool at Air Canada Mainline or by emailing Chelsea at askrouge@aircanada.ca if you are working at Air Canada Rouge. If you have any questions about this leave or the implications relating to pension, benefits, etc. we recommend that you read through the Q and A document as it is quite comprehensive. If you have remaining questions you can reach out to your Local Offic

. Canada's highest court has issued a ruling today upholding a federal law preventing third parties, such as employers and insurance companies, from demanding genetic information from individuals.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court of Canada has decided the Genetic Non-Discrimination Act is a constitutional exercise of federal powers.

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In the months ahead, the federal government will chart a course for Canada’s economic recovery, while also dealing with the ongoing pandemic. CUPE is calling on the federal government to keep privatization out of the country’s pandemic recovery plans. Investing in public programs and services is the fastest, most cost-effective and reliable way to boost the economy and support us all through tough times.
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Five pharmaceutical companies said they have filed a complaint in a Canadian court challenging the constitutionality of new Canadian regulations meant to lower patented drug prices, setting up a fight with the federal government. All five firms said the 10 provinces have always had the authority to regulate the prices of medicines, not the federal government, who may have proposed this legislation to lay the ground work for the creation of a national Pharmacare program. Click here for more info.

In other ironic news, Johnson & Johnson (whose parent company Janssen is one of the 5 companies party to the complaint) was recently ordered to pay the State of Oklahoma over half a billion dollars US for the part it played in flooding the state with opioid prescriptions causing a crisis that killed citizens, destroyed families and wreaked havoc on communities. For more information on that story, click here.

In a bid to recoup health-care costs associated with opioid addiction in Canada, the B.C. government launched a class-action lawsuit last year against dozens of pharmaceutical companies alleging they falsely marketed opioids as less addictive than other pain drugs. A separate $1.1 billion class-action lawsuit was filed this spring in Ontario on behalf of alleged victims.

In Canada, the federal government's most recent figures estimate that opioids were related to the death of more than 11,500 people between 2016 and 2018.

The federal government is forecasting a significant deficit for this fiscal year, but this is no justification for austerity. Borrowing makes financial sense, especially when investing in infrastructure that will benefit our economy for years to come. The rate for 30-year federal government bonds is at two per cent, and 10-year bonds are below one per cent. Public infrastructure is the backbone of economic activity, enabling workers and businesses to be more productive. We often think about infrastructure as roads and bridges, but it also includes electricity, water, libraries, museums, schools, and hospitals.

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Privatized airports: Will this disaster land in Canada?
The Federal Government is examining the possibility of privatizing Canadian airports in order to profit from expansion opportunities, capitalize on infrastructure investments and increase revenue at the expense of the traveling public, who may be subject to higher airport improvement fees or ticket prices. Privatization is a tactic being considered by governments across the country, and CUPE is doing its best to flight back. See the Counterpoint articles, the report on pensions and privatization, the CUPE Ontario actions and the CUPE National Privatization and Contracting Out Committee report all at http://www.cupe.ca.

The federal government owns 26 airports across Canada. The airports are privately managed by non-profit airport authorities that pay rent to the government and reinvest revenues back into the facilities. Airports are essential to travelers and our economy. But the government is now considering privatizing them. Privatization will further increase costs and leave Canadian airlines struggling to compete. A drop in business for Canadian airlines means job cuts, including for CUPE members. To maximize profits, airline owners will likely introduce cost-cutting measures that affect the quality of air travel and continue to place pressure on their employees’ wages and benefits.

Click herefor a recent opinon piece and check out cupe.ca for more info.

While we are all proud of our universal health care, Canada is the only developed country with universal health insurance that does not also offer universal prescription drug coverage. A common explanation for this hole is our system is that the cost of such a program would be prohibitive. Research is coming to light from some universities and stakeholders in the health care system that a nationwide pharmacare program could save Canadians billions of dollars and be cost neutral or even cost savings for governments. These cost savings can be realized due to the economies of scale taking into account drug price negotiations and better product selection. With drug costs rising quickly, sometimes even exponentially overnight, having a nationwide pharmacare system would place Canada in a better position to negotiate lower prices in the future for expensive treatments.

Five pharmaceutical companies said they have filed a complaint in a Canadian court challenging the constitutionality of new Canadian regulations meant to lower patented drug prices, setting up a fight with the federal government. All five firms said the 10 provinces have always had the authority to regulate the prices of medicines, not the federal government. Click here for more info.