Mobilizing Workers’ Capital for a Just and Sustainable Future
Workers’ deferred wages and retirement savings in Canada amount to over $2 trillion. This money is invested in markets across the globe.
Although workers are the indirect owners of countless public companies, infrastructure projects, real estate, private funds and other assets, they have very little control over how their capital is invested.
The CCSN is an action-oriented movement of trade union representatives and labour-nominated fund trustees committed to mobilizing workers’ capital to uphold the rights of workers, their families and their communities.


About Workers’ Capital & Capital Stewardship
Workers have organized and bargained collectively to ensure entitlements to benefits and security throughout their working lives and into retirement. These deferred wages and savings – known as “workers’ capital” – are accumulated in collectively funded pools such as pension plans, strike funds and benefit plans.
This capital can be a tremendous source of power in building an economy that upholds workers’ rights and advances broader societal goals for a just and sustainable economy.
Capital stewardship refers to the rights and responsibilities that investors have as shareholders and owners of assets. Once an investment decision is made, investors can use their voices as shareholders to support corporate practices that protect human and labour rights.

Learn More
Discover the CCSN
Interested in the CCSN and exploring its diverse research and publications? Visit the microsite to learn more.
Resources from the CCSN
Trustees Driving Real World Impact
Read an interview with Cheri Hearty, a Canadian union-elected trustee and co-chair of the Pension Plan for the Employees of the Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union since 2019. Despite being from a smaller plan, Cheri’s knows how to pack a big punch when it comes to ESG issues.
Investor Oversight of Responsible Real Estate Standards during COVID-19
Property cleaners are overworked, underpaid and under protected, despite responsible investment policies from building owners. To better understand the approaches to workforce risks in real estate, this report engaged 10 of the largest pension funds in Canada on their response to the pandemic.
Webinar: Proxy Voting Power
Voting rights attached to common shares have the power to change markets for the better. Shareholder voting rights allow asset owners to influence the behaviour of companies on issues that hold implications for workers and their communities. This webinar looks at how asset owners can ensure that their fund is seizing the power of proxy voting.
Meet the Secretariat
The CCSN secretariat is based at SHARE and was launched at the 2020 SHARE Investor Summit. The CCSN draws strategic guidance from an advisory board of union representatives.
Related Content
Learn more about the CCSN and SHARE’s ongoing efforts to promote and progress decent work standards in Canada.
Votes for decent work: Canadian investor voting results from 2021
The CCSN conducted a baseline analysis of proxy voting transparency from Canada’s five largest institutional
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April 20, 2021
“Strong leadership and an effective system of accountability” needed at the Chartwell board of directors: SHARE
In advance of Chartwell’s upcoming AGM, SHARE recommends shareholders vote for the proposal asking for
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March 19, 2020
How are Canadian companies stacking up on Decent Work in response to COVID-19?
At SHARE we have been thinking about how our work to build a sustainable economy
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