NDP joins UFCW Canada in calling for further action on enhanced safety measures in food processing sector

Ottawa – November 25, 2020 – New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Parliament Alistair MacGregor joined with UFCW Canada in calling for further action on enhanced safety measures in the food processing sector at a parliamentary committee meeting discussing COVID-19 and the agri-food industry.

During the online meeting of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, held on November 19, MacGregor voiced the health and safety concerns raised by UFCW Canada on behalf of the union’s 70,000 members working in the food manufacturing and meat processing sectors. Many of those concerns surround measures that need to be taken by employers to ensure the safety of food processing workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The MP for Cowichan-Malahat-Langfordowichan-Malahat-Langford said that while the federal government has acted on some of the increased safety measures that UFCW has called for in the food manufacturing and meat processing industries, there has been little movement on other measures that are urgently needed to protect food processing workers across the country.

The NDP MP further noted that rising cases of COVID-19 and existing vulnerabilities in the agri-food sector highlight the need for quick action on this issue, and he called on the government to work with the Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to immediately protect the health and safety of all food processing workers in Canada.

MacGregor’s full comments to the committee can be viewed in the video below.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, UFCW has been calling on the federal government to implement a range of best practices that can protect workers in the food manufacturing and meat processing industries, and our union continues to demand action on these measures in order to save lives and keep frontline workers safe.

To learn more about UFCW Canada’s campaign supporting food processing workers, or to lend your support to this initiative, visit the “Help Food Processing Workers!” campaign webpage.