CBJ JUNE 2026

23 CLAC JUNE 2026 « The Canadian Business Journal 22 I n 1952, a small group of Canadian workers set out to build a fundamentally different kind of union. At a time when much of North America’s labour movement was defined by confrontation between workers and employers, the founders of the Christian Labour Association of Canada, better known as CLAC, believed there was an alternative approach to labour relations. Their vision was rooted not in class conflict, but in cooperation, human dignity, mutual respect, and the belief that workplaces function best when people work together rather than against one another. MORE THAN 70 years later, that philosophy still defines one of Canada’s largest independent unions. Today, CLAC represents workers across construction, transportation, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and services. But while its footprint has expanded significantly since its founding, its leadership insists the core mission has not changed. The focus, CLAC leaders say, remains on helping Canadian workers build stable careers, support their families, access training opportunities, and succeed in a rapidly evolving economy. At a time when Canada faces persistent skilled labour shortages, rising affordability pressures, housing challenges, and large-scale infrastructure demands, CLAC believes the role of unions is expanding beyond traditional bargaining. It is, increasingly, about building long term opportunities for workers and prosperity for our country. In an exclusive interview with Canadian Business Journal, Wayne Prins, CLAC’s Executive Director, and Nathan Mathews, Provincial Director (British Columbia), discussed the organization’s cooperative approach to labour relations, workforce development, Indigenous partnerships, and the future of worker representation in Canada. “The starting point matters,” says Prins. “If you view the workplace as a collection of humans working together to achieve something, then you approach labour relations differently.” That idea, he explains, is not abstract philosophy. It is the foundation of how CLAC approaches negotiations, training, and member support across the country. A Different Philosophy of Union Representation CLAC’s model is built around a simple but distinct premise: Cooperation in the workplace produces better long-term outcomes for workers than confrontation and adversarialism. “If you view the workplace as a collection of people working together to achieve something, then you approach labour relations differently.” — Wayne Prins, Executive Director, CLAC Rather than treating labour relations as a Wayne Prins, Executive Director, CLAC