Latest news with #Hajdu
Cision Canada
6 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Minister Hajdu represents Canada at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Français
NEW YORK, July 24, 2025 /CNW/ - The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, concluded a series of engagements at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York City from July 21 to 23, 2025. The Forum is an opportunity for UN countries to gather and discuss progress made toward the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals are a collective call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and build a just, peaceful and inclusive world for all. Minister Hajdu presented Canada's National Statement on the SDGs, reaffirming our country's work towards international collaboration and in advancing the 2030 Agenda. Minister Hajdu emphasized our collective duty to work with national and international partners to drive meaningful change and build a more peaceful, inclusive and prosperous world, for the next generations. On July 22, Minister Hajdu participated in the High-Level Dialogue on Adequate Housing for All, alongside Bob Rae, Canada's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, in his capacity as President of the UN Economic and Social Council. This session highlighted Canada's focus on housing as a key strategy for reducing poverty, promoting equity, and fostering an inclusive society. On the Forum's final day, Minister Hajdu hosted Canada's official side event on inclusive and sustainable jobs. This event brought together diverse stakeholders to explore how digital education, disability inclusion, and private sector engagement can help build more inclusive economies. While at the UN, Minister Hajdu and Alexei Buzu, Minister of Labour and Social Protection for the Republic of Moldova, also signed a Declaration of Intent to establish a Canada-Moldova Social Security Agreement. This marks a key step in strengthening bilateral ties and advancing shared goals of inclusion, equity and resilience. Canada is focused on advancing the 2030 Agenda both domestically and internationally. While the Government of Canada leads this initiative, partnerships with other orders of government, stakeholders, Indigenous Peoples, and the public are crucial for our collective success. Quotes "Amid global challenges, forums like the UN High Level Political Forum remind us that we are not alone, and we are stronger when we stand united. To create a fairer and more sustainable future for everyone in Canada, we are collaborating with reliable trading partners and allies around the world and championing efforts to advance the SDGs. The UN High Level Political Forum is strengthening international partnerships and securing the future for the next generations so that no one is left behind." – The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario "As we approach 2030, Canada remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing the SDGs at home and abroad. Our engagement at the HLPF reflects our belief that global cooperation is necessary to accelerate action and help shape a more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable world for everyone." – Randeep Sarai, Secretary of State (International Development) Quick facts The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a 15-year global framework that was adopted by Canada and by all United Nations Member States in 2015. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call to action by all countries to address today's most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges through global partnership. This year's United Nations High-Level Political Forum focused on the following five goals: SDG 3 (Good health and well-being), SDG 5 (Gender equality), SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), SDG 14 (Life below water) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The High-Level Political Forum serves as the main UN platform for Sustainable Development, playing a central role in the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda at the global level. Canada and the Sustainable Development Goals Moving forward together: Canada's 2030 Agenda National Strategy
Vancouver Sun
19-06-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
Liberals show no signs of limiting MAID despite 'extremely concerned' UN report
OTTAWA — Ottawa is giving no sign that it intends to amend existing legislation on medical assistance in dying — something a UN committee called for earlier this spring. The federal minister responsible for disabilities spoke at a hearing of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities last week, about two months after the committee called on Canada to repeal the 2021 law that expanded eligibility for assisted dying to those whose deaths were not reasonably foreseeable. Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu gave a speech at the UN last Tuesday to mark 15 years since Canada ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'It's about, for me, making relationships in this space and making sure that I have a really strong connection with the community, which I think is really important to be a good minister,' she said in an interview after the speech. Her address did not cite the committee's report, which was released in late March as the federal election got underway. The report said the committee is 'extremely concerned' about Canada's policy on track 2 medical assistance in dying. '(T)he concept of 'choice' creates a false dichotomy, setting up the premise that if persons with disabilities are suffering, it is valid for (Canada) to enable their death without providing safeguards that guarantee the provision of support,' the report said. In a written statement, a spokesperson for Hajdu said the government thanks the committee for its report. 'MAID is a deeply personal choice. We will make sure that the rights of persons with disabilities are upheld and protected,' said Jennifer Kozelj. Disability rights groups in Canada have argued the law singles out people with disabilities who are suffering because they're unable to access proper support. Last September, Inclusion Canada was among a group of organizations that filed a Charter of Rights challenge against what's known as track 2 MAID. In court documents, they argued the law 'allows people with disabilities to access state-funded death in circumstances where they cannot access state-funded supports they need to make their suffering tolerable.' The organization's CEO, Krista Carr, said she wants to see Ottawa deliver an action plan on implementing the recommendations in the UN report. 'It was crystal clear — the United Nations said they need to repeal track 2 medical assistance in dying,' she said. Garnett Genuis, the Conservative employment critic, said he came away from the UN event worried about Canada's international reputation being harmed by what he called Ottawa's 'failures to uphold our obligations to protect the rights of people with living with disabilities.' 'There is a lot of concern internationally within the disability rights community about what's happening in Canada around euthanasia and people living with disabilities,' he said. Genuis said he would support additional guardrails around track 2 assisted dying. In New Zealand, he pointed out, health professionals cannot suggest assisted dying as an option but are able to provide information to patients who ask for it. 'I think that would be a meaningful way of improving the experience of people living with disabilities who interact with the health-care system,' he said. The offices of Health Minister Marjorie Michel and Justice Minister Sean Fraser did not say whether Ottawa is considering changes to the assisted dying law as a result of the report. A spokesman for Michel cited strict eligibility requirements and 'multiple robust safeguards' in the current law. Canada's medical assistance in dying law was updated in 2021 after the Quebec Court of Appeal found that limiting access to people whose deaths were reasonably foreseeable amounted to discrimination. The federal government opted not to take that ruling to the Supreme Court, and instead changed the law to broaden eligibility. The latest annual report on medical assistance in dying shows that 622 of the 15,343 people who had an assisted death in 2023 were part of that track 2. They included 210 people who self-identified as having a disability. The report said that less than three per cent of the people who qualified for an assisted death in 2023 said they did not receive the disability support services they needed. The most frequently reported disabilities among MAID recipients were mobility and pain-related. To be considered eligible to apply for MAID, a person must have a grievous and irremediable medical condition. For people whose death is not reasonably foreseeable, there's a minimum 90-day waiting period between the first assessment and the procedure. The applicant must be informed of counselling, mental health supports, disability supports, community services and palliative care, and must be offered consultations with relevant professionals. The applicant and two different medical practitioners also have to discuss means to relieve the person's suffering and 'agree that the person has seriously considered these means,' according to Health Canada's website. 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Edmonton Journal
19-06-2025
- Health
- Edmonton Journal
Liberals show no signs of limiting MAID despite 'extremely concerned' UN report
Article content OTTAWA — Ottawa is giving no sign that it intends to amend existing legislation on medical assistance in dying — something a UN committee called for earlier this spring. The federal minister responsible for disabilities spoke at a hearing of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities last week, about two months after the committee called on Canada to repeal the 2021 law that expanded eligibility for assisted dying to those whose deaths were not reasonably foreseeable. Article content Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu gave a speech at the UN last Tuesday to mark 15 years since Canada ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 'It's about, for me, making relationships in this space and making sure that I have a really strong connection with the community, which I think is really important to be a good minister,' she said in an interview after the speech. Her address did not cite the committee's report, which was released in late March as the federal election got underway. The report said the committee is 'extremely concerned' about Canada's policy on track 2 medical assistance in dying. '(T)he concept of 'choice' creates a false dichotomy, setting up the premise that if persons with disabilities are suffering, it is valid for (Canada) to enable their death without providing safeguards that guarantee the provision of support,' the report said. Article content In a written statement, a spokesperson for Hajdu said the government thanks the committee for its report. 'MAID is a deeply personal choice. We will make sure that the rights of persons with disabilities are upheld and protected,' said Jennifer Kozelj. Disability rights groups in Canada have argued the law singles out people with disabilities who are suffering because they're unable to access proper support. Last September, Inclusion Canada was among a group of organizations that filed a Charter of Rights challenge against what's known as track 2 MAID. In court documents, they argued the law 'allows people with disabilities to access state-funded death in circumstances where they cannot access state-funded supports they need to make their suffering tolerable.' The organization's CEO, Krista Carr, said she wants to see Ottawa deliver an action plan on implementing the recommendations in the UN report. Article content 'It was crystal clear — the United Nations said they need to repeal track 2 medical assistance in dying,' she said. Garnett Genuis, the Conservative employment critic, said he came away from the UN event worried about Canada's international reputation being harmed by what he called Ottawa's 'failures to uphold our obligations to protect the rights of people with living with disabilities.' 'There is a lot of concern internationally within the disability rights community about what's happening in Canada around euthanasia and people living with disabilities,' he said. Genuis said he would support additional guardrails around track 2 assisted dying. In New Zealand, he pointed out, health professionals cannot suggest assisted dying as an option but are able to provide information to patients who ask for it. 'I think that would be a meaningful way of improving the experience of people living with disabilities who interact with the health-care system,' he said. Article content The offices of Health Minister Marjorie Michel and Justice Minister Sean Fraser did not say whether Ottawa is considering changes to the assisted dying law as a result of the report. A spokesman for Michel cited strict eligibility requirements and 'multiple robust safeguards' in the current law. Canada's medical assistance in dying law was updated in 2021 after the Quebec Court of Appeal found that limiting access to people whose deaths were reasonably foreseeable amounted to discrimination. The federal government opted not to take that ruling to the Supreme Court, and instead changed the law to broaden eligibility. The latest annual report on medical assistance in dying shows that 622 of the 15,343 people who had an assisted death in 2023 were part of that track 2. They included 210 people who self-identified as having a disability. Latest National Stories
Winnipeg Free Press
19-06-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ottawa shows no signs of limiting MAID after UN panel calls for reversal
OTTAWA – Ottawa is giving no sign that it intends to amend existing legislation on medical assistance in dying — something a UN committee called for earlier this spring. The federal minister responsible for disabilities spoke at a hearing of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities last week, about two months after the committee called on Canada to repeal the 2021 law that expanded eligibility for assisted dying to those whose deaths were not reasonably foreseeable. Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu gave a speech at the UN last Tuesday to mark 15 years since Canada ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 'It's about, for me, making relationships in this space and making sure that I have a really strong connection with the community, which I think is really important to be a good minister,' she said in an interview after the speech. Her address did not cite the committee's report, which was released in late March as the federal election got underway. The report said the committee is 'extremely concerned' about Canada's policy on track 2 medical assistance in dying. '(T)he concept of 'choice' creates a false dichotomy, setting up the premise that if persons with disabilities are suffering, it is valid for (Canada) to enable their death without providing safeguards that guarantee the provision of support,' the report said. In a written statement, a spokesperson for Hajdu said the government thanks the committee for its report. 'MAID is a deeply personal choice. We will make sure that the rights of persons with disabilities are upheld and protected,' said Jennifer Kozelj. Disability rights groups in Canada have argued the law singles out people with disabilities who are suffering because they're unable to access proper support. Last September, Inclusion Canada was among a group of organizations that filed a Charter of Rights challenge against what's known as track 2 MAID. In court documents, they argued the law 'allows people with disabilities to access state-funded death in circumstances where they cannot access state-funded supports they need to make their suffering tolerable.' The organization's CEO, Krista Carr, said she wants to see Ottawa deliver an action plan on implementing the recommendations in the UN report. 'It was crystal clear — the United Nations said they need to repeal track 2 medical assistance in dying,' she said. Garnett Genuis, the Conservative employment critic, said he came away from the UN event worried about Canada's international reputation being harmed by what he called Ottawa's 'failures to uphold our obligations to protect the rights of people with living with disabilities.' 'There is a lot of concern internationally within the disability rights community about what's happening in Canada around euthanasia and people living with disabilities,' he said. Genuis said he would support additional guardrails around track 2 assisted dying. In New Zealand, he pointed out, health professionals cannot suggest assisted dying as an option but are able to provide information to patients who ask for it. 'I think that would be a meaningful way of improving the experience of people living with disabilities who interact with the health-care system,' he said. The offices of Health Minister Marjorie Michel and Justice Minister Sean Fraser did not say whether Ottawa is considering changes to the assisted dying law as a result of the report. A spokesman for Michel cited strict eligibility requirements and 'multiple robust safeguards' in the current law. Canada's medical assistance in dying law was updated in 2021 after the Quebec Court of Appeal found that limiting access to people whose deaths were reasonably foreseeable amounted to discrimination. The federal government opted not to take that ruling to the Supreme Court, and instead changed the law to broaden eligibility. The latest annual report on medical assistance in dying shows that 622 of the 15,343 people who had an assisted death in 2023 were part of that track 2. They included 210 people who self-identified as having a disability. The report said that less than three per cent of the people who qualified for an assisted death in 2023 said they did not receive the disability support services they needed. The most frequently reported disabilities among MAID recipients were mobility and pain-related. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. To be considered eligible to apply for MAID, a person must have a grievous and irremediable medical condition. For people whose death is not reasonably foreseeable, there's a minimum 90-day waiting period between the first assessment and the procedure. The applicant must be informed of counselling, mental health supports, disability supports, community services and palliative care, and must be offered consultations with relevant professionals. The applicant and two different medical practitioners also have to discuss means to relieve the person's suffering and 'agree that the person has seriously considered these means,' according to Health Canada's website. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
13-06-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Government orders vote on Canada Post contract offer in move union slams as attack on workers' rights
Federal jobs minister Patty Hajdu has ordered a vote on Canada Post 's 'final' contract offer to 55,000 employees, a move immediately slammed by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers as an attack on workers' rights and something labour experts say might not bring an immediate end to the bitter contract dispute. Hajdu made the announcement Thursday morning on the social media platform X. 'Today, I have decided to exercise my authority under section 108.1(1) of the Canada Labour Code to direct a vote on the final offers that Canada Post submitted to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) on May 28, 2025,' Hajdu posted. 'After 18 months of negotiation, over 200 meetings between the parties, 33 days of strike and lockout in the fall, and ongoing strain placed on Canada's small businesses and communities, it is in the public interest that the membership of CUPW has the opportunity to vote on Canada Post's last offers.' The vote will be administered by the Canadian Industrial Relations Board. Sources said the CIRB is expected to meet with the two sides in the coming days to lay out the mechanics of the vote , and look at lists of workers eligible to vote. The vote is expected to take place within roughly two weeks. In an emailed statement, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers slammed the order as an attack on workers' rights. 'Once again, Canada Post and the government are colluding to take away the rights of workers to freely and fairly bargain collective agreements. They seek to overturn and rewrite decades of hard-won rights and working conditions to make unilateral changes to collective agreements,' CUPW said, adding that it will be urging members to reject the offer. 'Forced deals will not achieve labour peace. This also sends a signal to other employers and the labour movement about how far this government will go to trample on the rights of workers,' CUPW added. While CUPW could have its members start a full strike — or even a rotating one — as a response to the order, all the union said publicly Thursday is that it would continue its ban on working overtime, a 'strike action' it began May 23. Earlier this week, CUPW criticized the Crown corporation, saying it was trying to avoid a negotiated settlement by asking Hajdu to order a vote, and by insisting any arbitration be based on a key report from veteran mediator William Kaplan, who said Canada Post was effectively insolvent. Kaplan also said there's an impasse in bargaining, suggested arbitration wouldn't be a good choice to deal with Canada Post's need for restructuring, and said a final offer would be the third option for an end to the dispute. In an emailed statement, the Crown corporation praised Hajdu's decision, which it had requested for weeks. 'We welcome the minister's decision as it will provide employees with the opportunity to have a voice and vote on a new collective agreement at a critical point in our history,' Canada Post said. 'This ratification vote comes as the parties remain at an impasse after 18 months of negotiations, a national strike and an Industrial Inquiry Commission which detailed the challenges we face, and what needs to be done to begin addressing them.' Earlier this month, Canada Post rejected the union's request for binding arbitration, saying it would take too long, and could exacerbate their financial struggles. On May 28, Canada Post made what it called its 'final' contract offer, which includes a 13 per cent wage increase spread over four years, as well as a $1,000 signing bonus. Two days later, it asked Hajdu to order a vote on the offer. A forced vote could tempt workers who'd otherwise be in favour of the offer to turn it down, labour experts suggested. 'Canada Post's decision to ask the minister to approve a forced vote will likely result in a backlash that helps unify a divided CUPW membership in opposition to the employer,' said Brock University labour studies professor Larry Savage. But Hajdu's order almost certainly makes life difficult for CUPW, no matter which way the vote goes, argued Steven Tufts, a labour studies professor at York University. 'The union's in a lose-lose situation. If the members accept, then that's really going to be a challenge for the union. If they turn it down say, 60-40, then you still have a large chunk of the members not enthused about a strike, and there's no clear path forward,' said Tufts. Labour law professor David J. Doorey said the vote is Canada Post's last hope of avoiding binding arbitration, but warned it could backfire. 'It's a risky move, because if the workers vote down the employer's offer, it seems almost certain that the government will impose arbitration against Canada Post's wishes,' said Doorey, a professor at York University's Osgoode Hall law school. Last week, CUPW filed a complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board accusing the Crown corporation of doing an end-run around the union to negotiate directly with workers and 'purposefully trying to discredit the reputation of the union.' The complaint also asks the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order damages be paid to the union. The Crown corporation said it had every right to communicate with its workers, and said it will fight the complaint. CUPW members have been in a legal strike position since May 23, but their strike action has thus far been limited to a ban on overtime work. Kaplan's May 15 report said Canada Post was effectively insolvent , and suggested the use of community mailboxes, the elimination of home delivery except for parcels, and getting rid of some post office locations and replacing them with franchises. Kaplan also suggested expanding parcel delivery to seven days a week, with the use of part-time and temporary employees.
