Labour Day 2025: Parades in Canada and Nationwide “Workers Over Billionaires” Protests in the U.S.

TORONTO, September 1, 2025 - Marking the first Monday of September, Labour Day brought communities together from coast to coast in Canada and ignited a wave of demonstrations across the United States.

In Toronto, the annual Labour Day Parade-under the theme “A Canada for Workers: Made Here, Paid Here”-set off at 9 a.m. from Nathan Phillips Square. Thousands of union members, community groups, and families marched through downtown, pausing for speeches by labour leaders before heading to the Canadian National Exhibition grounds for music, children’s activities, and the closing weekend of Canada’s largest fair.

Across British Columbia, the Pacific National Exhibition’s Labour Day festivities in Vancouver kicked off with speeches at the Maritime Labour Centre, followed by family-friendly events on the PNE fairgrounds. Similar parades and picnics took place in Edmonton, Moose Jaw, Winnipeg, Moncton, and Saint John, offering barbecues, live music, and fireworks well into the afternoon.

Meanwhile, in the United States, organizers under the banner “Workers Over Billionaires” mobilized more than 1,000 demonstrations in all 50 states. In major cities from New York City to Los Angeles, union members and community activists rallied against economic inequality, demanding protection of Social Security and Medicaid, full funding for public schools and healthcare, and an end to billionaire influence over government policy. According to May Day Strong, the coalition leading the events, “Billionaires are robbing working families… the remedy is collective action”.

In Southern California, the AFL-CIO and allied groups held coordinated rallies in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Inland Empire communities, with participants carrying signs reading “Working People Built This Nation” and chanting calls for shared prosperity over corporate profits.

As the long weekend concludes, Labour Day 2025 will be remembered both for its traditional celebrations honoring workers’ contributions and for its renewed spirit of activism demanding economic justice.