Standing Strong with Labour
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2025
Over the past decade, as the Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt, I’ve had the honour of working alongside the hardworking union members who power our region, from mining and manufacturing to the trades and public service. As someone who has worked in a unionized workplace, I know firsthand the value of strong unions in building strong communities.
I proudly stood in the House of Commons to support the repeal of Harper–Poilievre-era Bills C-377 and C-525, legislation designed to weaken organized labour and silence workers. Bill C-377 required unions to publicly disclose extensive financial information, including salaries, expenditures, and time spent on political or lobbying activities, an unnecessary and burdensome requirement to undermine union operations. Bill C-525 made it harder for workers in federally regulated sectors to unionize by replacing the card-check system with a mandatory vote and making it easier to decertify unions. Our Liberal government took action to repeal these harmful laws, restoring fairness and making it easier for workers to join a union. We also introduced and passed Bill C-228 which amended the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act To create new protections for workers’ pensions in the event of insolvency.
Our record speaks for itself; we’ve delivered over $500,000 in support to local trades, to modernize equipment, expanding mobile training, and ensuring apprentices and journeypersons are equipped for the jobs of today and tomorrow. This is just one example of how our government has worked with unions to support job creation, workforce training, and economic growth across the riding.
I’ve met with unions across the workforce, including Carpenters Union Local 2486, PSAC Local 0042, LiUNA Local 493, Ironworkers Local 786, CUPE Local 4705, and Operating Engineers Local 793, among others. I was pleased to engage in open, constructive dialogue, organize roundtable discussions, and connect them directly with federal Ministers to ensure their priorities were heard. I will continue to stand with them and advocate for their interests.
In 2024, the federal government launched a $70.5 million Sustainable Jobs Stream under UTIP. While this is a national initiative, it is designed to support unions across the country, including those in Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt and Greater Sudbury, by providing green training to over 14,000 apprentices and journeypersons, helping prepare our workforce to transition to a low-carbon economy.
Further, we invested $1.95 million through the Climate Smart Mining Initiative under the Global Partnerships Initiative, supporting international sustainable mining practices while reinforcing Canada’s leadership in responsible resource development. This investment, which was made in collaboration with unions and mining communities, promotes union-aligned values such as environmental stewardship and labour protections, demonstrating our commitment to ensuring that Canadian workers and their communities benefit from responsible resource development.
As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, I’ve also championed sustainable mining practices that ensure we’re not only extracting critical minerals to power the clean economy but doing so in a way that upholds strong labour standards and environmental protections. These policies help secure long-term, high-quality unionized jobs in critical mineral development and processing industries central to Northern Ontario’s future.
In addition, I’ve supported major infrastructure projects that create good-paying, unionized jobs, including hundreds of skilled trades positions, through road and bridge improvements, broadband expansion, and public transit upgrades. These initiatives boost local economies and strengthen the skilled trades sector by providing ongoing, stable employment opportunities for union members across our region.
When Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs threaten jobs across Northern Ontario in the auto and mining sectors, we acted quickly: cutting EI wait times, expanding eligibility, and putting money into families’ pockets when needed. These weren’t just policy tweaks. They were lifelines.
Our Liberal team is fighting back with a $2 billion Strategic Response Fund, a 100 per cent Canadian EV supply chain, and procurement policies prioritizing Canadian-built vehicles. While Pierre Poilievre would bend the knee to Trump, we stand up for Canadian workers.
This government has proven to be the most labour-friendly in Canadian history, passing the anti-scab law Bill C-58, introducing paid sick leave, and enacting the right to disconnect. Labour built this country and in Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt, it will help shape our future. I’ll never stop fighting to ensure workers have the tools, the training, and the respect they deserve today, tomorrow, and always.
Sincerely,
Marc G. Serré, Federal Liberal Candidate
Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt