Ryan Bird Reports on Toronto's Labour Day Parade

Wearing union t-shirts and hats, thousands of people turned out on Monday to march in Toronto's annual Labour Day Parade, which snaked it's way through city streets from Queen and University down to the C.N.E. grounds.

Listen to Ryan Bird's Report

Shortly before the parade got underway, President of the Canadian Auto Workers union, Buzz Hargrove, gave his last Labour Day speech.

Hargrove, who steps down as C.A.W. President at the end of the week, told a crowd of roughly two hundred people at Nathan Phillips Square, that tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs have been lost over the past few years and that the federal government has not done enough to stop it.

With rumours of a federal election swirling around, Hargrove encouraged people to replace the current government, saying that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty are the most insensitive team of leaders Canada has ever experienced.

Toronto Mayor David Miller also mentioned the possible election during his speech, saying that all the national political parties should be standing up for Canadian jobs.