Each year on December 3, we recognize the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This is a day to raise awareness of disability issues and advance the rights, dignity, and well-being of people with disabilities.

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence is an annual international campaign that begins on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and goes until December 10, Human Rights Day.

Read our statement below.

Click on our 16 Days calendar to view our interactive actions:

Why is it urgent for everyone to address gender-based violence?

It costs lives: in 2023, 205 women and girls in Canada were violently killed, primarily by men. One woman or girl is killed every 48 hours. 

Gender-based violence costs Canadians $7.4 billion to deal with the aftermath of spousal violence alone.

Children who witness violence in the home have twice the rate of psychiatric disorders as children from non-violent homes.

Intimate partner violence can carry over into the workplace, threatening women’s ability to maintain economic independence. In one study, more than half (53%) of study respondents who experienced intimate partner violence said that at least one type of abusive act happened at or near their workplace. Almost 40% of those who had experienced abuse said it made it difficult for them to get to work, and 8.5% said that they lost their jobs because of it. 

Each December 6th, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women, we come together to commemorate the national tragedy that happened over 30 years ago at École Polytechnique de Montréal, when 14 women were killed simply because they were women. We also reflect on the troubling fact that gender-based violence continues to be a daily reality.

Rates of violence are disproportionately higher for racialized women, Indigenous women and girls, women with disabilities and women from 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

This violence often has impacts on their physical, sexual and reproductive health. They may experience mental health issues and a reduced ability to participate in social and economic activities, leaving gaps in our workplaces and in our communities. 

Now, more than ever we call on you to participate in our #CEIU16Days of activism. Gender-based violence impacts everyone and we all have a role to play in combatting it and taking meaningful action to ensure that tragedies that happen daily - tragedies like l'École Polytechnique de Montréal - never happen again.

It is through our activism that we are able to demand action from the government and we must continue to organize to put an end to gender-based violence.

While this is a time for remembering the lives lost to violence, it is also a time to act.

Please share this message widely and encourage everyone to take action to stop gender-based violence.

In Solidarity

The CEIU National Women’s Committee

CEIU is hereby calling for nominations for the position of Alternate National Vice-President for IRCC.

Every year on November 20, the world marks Trans Day of Remembrance to honour trans people who have lost their lives to anti-trans violence.

If you have self-identified with CEIU in one of the four equity groups, an email will be sent by SimplyVoting to your personal email address inviting you to vote for the position of Alternate National Vice-President for Human Rights as well as for an Alternate Representative for Black members on the Human Rights and Race Relations Committee.

Clean water is a human right. This initiative comes in response to the government’s statement that they are not legally obligated to provide clean water to First Nations communities. This is unacceptable.

Mofizul Islam is National Vice-President, Human Rights. Born in May, Mofizul says he was naturally drawn to the labour movement and celebrates May Day along with his birthday.

The National Executive (NE) held their Fall meeting from October 8^th to 11^th,  2024 at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa.

We strongly denounce Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for its lack of consultation in announcing that IRCC will be stopping the clock on term rollovers to indeterminate status effective Oct 31.

As National Union Representatives (NURs), we enter the grievance process after it has been filed, and usually after the first hearing has occurred.