Thousands expected at Montreal May 1st march for International Workers' Day

Union members demonstrate in a common front, In Quebec City, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. Union leaders of the CSN, FTQ, CSQ and APTS, presented their negotiation demands in a common front. (Jacques Boissinot, The Canadian Press)

Thousands of people are expected to attend the traditional International Workers' Day demonstration in Montreal's east end on May 1.

The march will take place at 5:30 p.m. in Parc François-Perrault, near the Saint-Michel metro station in east-end Montreal. Marchers will proceed to the Jean-Talon Hospital.

The organization wants to take advantage of the occasion to mark the gains made by workers, notably thanks to the latest public sector negotiations, "which enabled significant advances to be made in terms of defending rights and improving working and employment conditions."

But it also wants to talk about the struggles that remain.

For example, workers with precarious status, those with harsh working conditions, and temporary foreign workers, said May 1st Coalition spokesperson Ariane Beauchemin Pepin, in an interview on Tuesday.

Protecting the social safety net is also on the agenda, as are other causes close to workers' hearts, such as inflation, the housing crisis and health care reform, she added.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 30, 2024.