May 1, 2026
Philippine Women Centre of Ontario
Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance – Ontario / Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada
SIKLAB-Ontario

Warm and militant greetings of solidarity to workers around the world on this 140th anniversary of International Workers’ Day. Today we celebrate and honour the tireless contributions and sacrifices of the working class throughout history against exploitation, oppression, and injustice. During this time of rapidly shifting global political economy, deepening crises of capitalism, and intensifying wars of aggression we commemorate our victories and remind ourselves that we are the movers of history.

Carney’s recent rhetoric of so-called “end of rules-based order” speech and implied pivot away from the United States’ hegemony masks the reality of continued attack towards the working class people through Canadian chauvinism and shallow “nationalism”. Though the Canadian government states that they are fighting for “Canadian independence”, the increased commitment to military spending only helps the US military industrial complex, its proxies, and Western imperialism.

As military spending continue to rise, with billions funneled into defense and war-making capacities, along with Canada’s unwavering alignment to NATO, these investments are made at the direct expense of the working class as public funds are diverterd away from social programs and community needs.

Make no mistake – Canada is not neutral. It is actively complicit and participates in supporting the exploitation of the Global South, displacing communities, and perpetuating violence and ongoing genocide. Here in Canada and across North America, workers continue to face rising cost of living and intesifying inequality. US imposed tarrifs and fake nationalistic sentiments are nothing but a smokescreen to divide and pit workers against each other while the wealthy and corporate sector continue to benefit.

As working class and immigrant/migrant Filipinos we understand well the burden that the government’s lies has placed on our communities who disproportionatley fill the gaps that the government cannot meet when it comes to the essential needs of food security, universal health care, and child care. For these reasons we continue to expose and stand against the war economy that Carney unwaveringly supports. It is also up to us as workers to continue putting forth the solutions that our government cannot conceive of and support one another on our path towards a socialist future.