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UFCW Votes

UFCW Votes: Your Resource for the 2025 Federal Election

The 2025 federal election is coming up on April 28, 2025 – and it’s an important one for UFCW families.

Over the last few months, UFCW Canada members from across the country have been speaking up in focus groups and conversations about what matters most to them. The message is clear: working families need a government that will take real action to make life more affordable and secure.

Below is a summary of the top priorities UFCW members have identified – so you will know exactly where the political parties stand on the issues that matter to UFCW families. This way, we can be prepared to make an informed decision when we head to the polls.

Let’s Make Our Voices Heard

From now until Election Day, your union is working hard to make sure that all political parties and local candidates hear us loud and clear. We’re strongest when we stick together – and when we speak with one voice, we have the power to make real change.

Together, we are one of the biggest and strongest unions in Canada – a powerful, united voice for working people. We are a quarter-million workers strong – over 250,000 members across the country working in grocery stores, meat plants, food processing, healthcare, hospitality, security, agriculture, and more.

Your union is pushing hard to make sure the next federal government steps up for workers. When we stand together, we win together. Our power is in our unity – and together, we can make life better for all working families.

 

Together, we have a strong UFCW voice! Here’s how you can help us raise it:

  • Ask local candidates about how they will address our UFCW Worker Priorities for the Next Government of Canada.
  • Attend local debates and ask questions about our UFCW Worker Priorities for the Next Government of Canada.
  • Use social media to raise awareness about UFCW Worker Priorities and encourage candidates to commit to our priorities for the Next Federal Government.
  • Connect with and attend your local union events and stay informed on key election updates.

This election is a chance to make our proud UFCW voices heard. Let’s stand together to ensure that federal politicians commit to supporting UFCW families now and into the future!

Stay engaged, stay informed, and make your voice count!

UFCW Canada Member Priorities for the Next Government of Canada:

housing more affordable Make housing more affordable for working families. Secure affordable housing options for UFCW members and their families, ensuring everyone has a safe and stable place to call home.

 

inflation and the rising cost of living Tackle inflation and the rising cost of living. Take meaningful action to reduce the cost of essentials like gas, housing, and other daily necessities so working families can make ends meet.

 

protect our healthcare Strengthen and protect our healthcare system. Ensure that every UFCW member and their family has access to quality healthcare, no matter where they live.

 

well-paying jobs Create good, well-paying jobs and grow the economy. Invest in job creation and economic growth to build an economy that works for everyone — not just the wealthy and big corporations.

 

childcare Support affordable childcare and family benefits. Expand access to $10-a-day childcare and strengthen the Canada Child Benefit to make life more affordable for working parents.

 

trade issues Address trade issues that drive up costs. Work to reduce tariffs and other trade barriers that increase the price of food and goods — helping to lower costs for all families.

How to Vote in the Federal Election:

Make sure you’re ready to vote and have your say in shaping Canada’s future! Here’s what you need to know:

Ways to Vote

You can Apply to Vote by Mail

If you choose to apply to vote by mail, please remember and take note:

  • Your local Elections Canada office must receive your completed application by the deadline: 6 p.m. local time on April 8, 2025.
  • If your application is approved, you will receive a special ballot voting kit.
  • Plan ahead. Make sure your marked ballot will get to your local Elections Canada office by the deadline: April 14, 2025, before the polls close in your riding.
  • Once you apply to vote by special ballot, this is the only way you can vote. You cannot vote at a polling place. You can vote only once per by-election.

Vote Early at Your Local Election Office

Vote in the Advance Poll from April 18 to 21. Advance polling stations are open for four days, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Check your voter information card or use the Voter Information Service to find your polling station.

Election Day – April 28, 2025.

Please note that Accessible Voting Options will also be made available.

 

Where the parties stand on UFCW member priorities

New Democratic Party

New Democratic Party

  • Use government-controlled land to build more homes that people can afford

  • Government-provided and paid for dental care for all working families

  • Eliminate taxes on essentials like home heating, phone bills, and groceries to ease the cost of living for working families

  • NDP to invest in creating good, Canadian jobs that also strengthen Arctic sovereignty

  • Fix EI system so every worker has security

  • Protect industries that provide good jobs and keep Canada's economy strong

  • Invest in infrastructure projects that create good union jobs and build more affordable housing for working families

  • Protect good union jobs by supporting domestic manufacturing and preventing layoffs

  • Improve wages and working conditions for child care workers to expand access to affordable child care for UFCW families

  • Increase support for people with disabilities by boosting benefits and ending unfair clawbacks

  • Protect public health care by stopping corporations from charging patients for essential services

  • Protect public services and ensure the wealthy pay their fair share to support working families

  • Build high-speed rail publicly using Canadian steel and union labour to keep jobs and profits in Canada

  • Invest in affordable and social housing to create good jobs and make housing more accessible for UFCW families

  • Cancel government contracts with Amazon until fired unionized workers are reinstated

  • Direct all retaliatory tariff revenue to support workers and create good union jobs

  • Put people before corporate landlords by making affordable housing a guaranteed right

  • Investigate price-fixing in the food industry to protect consumers from corporate greed

  • Make mental health care part of universal health care so everyone can access it cost-free

  • Protect workers’ right to bargain freely without government interference or back-to-work orders

  • End tax breaks for corporate landlords and use the savings to build more affordable housing

  • Ban corporations from buying affordable rental homes to keep housing accessible for working families

  • The NDP promises to stand up to corporate greed and protect workers from layoffs without severance — a key issue for UFCW families who’ve seen too many companies put profits and executive bonuses ahead of the people who do the work

  • The NDP promises targeted tax cuts and cost-of-living relief for working and middle-class families — a plan that could offer real savings for UFCW members, while rejecting tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and corporate insiders

  • The NDP promises to protect workers from the impact of Trump’s trade war through stronger EI benefits, investment in good union jobs, and safeguards against privatization

  • The NDP promises to offer low-interest, public-backed mortgages through CMHC to help first-time buyers — a direct plan to support UFCW families who are being priced out of homeownership, while pushing back against a system that puts the interests of speculators and big banks ahead of working people

  • The NDP is promising to defend public health care from corporate takeover and U.S.-style privatization — a clear stand for UFCW families who depend on a strong, accessible health system, not one that lets profits come before care.

  • Current party leader and candidates have yet to publish further positions on UFCW Canada member priorities. These will be added to this page once announced by the party

Liberal Party

Liberal Party

  • Liberals promise to invest in an all-Canadian auto manufacturing network and protect union jobs, but UFCW members will want to see clear commitments to good union contracts and strong labour standards tied to this investment

  • Liberals promise a middle-class tax cut to help UFCW families keep more of their pay, but members should weigh this against rising living costs and assess whether it’s paired with strong investments in health care, housing, and services working families count on

  • Liberals promise to defend supply management, support agrifood workers, and invest in domestic food processing, UFCW members may want to consider how these measures will protect union jobs, strengthen food sector workplaces, and ensure fair wages and working conditions across the industry.

  • Liberals promise to cut taxes, expand dental care, and increase housing supply to make life more affordable, UFCW members may want to assess how these measures balance short-term savings with long-term investment in public services and whether they meet the needs of both homeowners and renters.

  • Liberals promise a large-scale housing plan with federal leadership in homebuilding and support for innovative construction, a potentially meaningful step for UFCW families, depending on how much of the new housing is truly affordable, accessible to renters, and built in partnership with workers.

  • Current party leader and candidates have yet to publish further positions on UFCW Canada member priorities. These will be added to this page once announced by the party

Conservative Party

Conservative Party

  • Conservatives promise to cut income taxes for workers, but do not explain the impact of these cuts on health care, childcare, and other essential services

  • Conservatives promise to cut sales tax on new homes and speed up permits, but without direct investment in affordable housing, UFCW families may still face high rents and limited housing options

  • Conservatives promise to support certified tradespeople in some construction jobs, but they don’t address stronger union protections, fair wages, or improved working conditions for everyone else

  • Conservatives promise to re-establish the name "Minister of Labour" instead of Minister of "Jobs", but Conservative support for anti-union, American-style laws like “right to work” would weaken union bargaining power and reduce protections for UFCW members

  • Conservatives promise to lower taxes for working seniors and protect retirement benefits, but UFCW families should consider whether this plan includes broader investments in health care, long-term care, and affordable housing that many seniors rely on

  • Current party leader and candidates have yet to publish further positions on UFCW Canada member priorities. These will be added to this page once announced by the party

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