PressProgress Says Goodbye to Senior Labour Reporter Emily Leedham

After four years with PressProgress, Senior Labour Reporter Emily Leedham is moving on from the outlet to exciting new opportunities, continuing her research and writing on workers’ rights and justice.

During her tenure, Emily covered national and prairie politics, the Canadian labour movement, the far-right, and 2SLGBTQIA+ movements. Emily was promoted to the role of labour reporter and founded Shift Work, PressProgress’ labour newsletter which tracks all active strikes and lockouts. Shift Work has gained national recognition, including an award from the Canadian Online Publishing Awards.

Emily’s work was cited by major media outlets across Canada including Global News, Winnipeg Free Press, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Toronto Star, CTV, Globe and Mail, CBC — and her investigative work on the Plymouth Brethren Church was featured in Canadaland’s “Ratfucker: Confessions of a Dirty Tricks Operative“ podcast mini-series. 

Through her reporting on the Canada Growth Council in Manitoba, Emily also exposed the deep political influence of the Plymouth Brethren religious sect – how it was awarded more than $50 million in government COVID-19 contracts and the implications of its mass text ad campaign on Manitobans during the 2023 provincial election.

Emily’s journalism also had real-world impact. Her continuous reporting on Suncor and Cargill’s inclusion in Canada’s Top 100 Employer Awards resulted in the relationship between The Globe and Mail and the employer award organization changing significantly.

The work of Emily’s labour journalism went beyond her own reporting. She stepped into the Labour Reporting Internship Program as the lead and was a mentor to five student interns, helping to invest in the next generation of labour reporters.

Emily was essential to the evolution of PressProgress into the award-winning outlet it is today.  

“Emily is the best labour reporter in the country, bar none,” said Publisher Romy Garrido. “She certainly made her mark at PressProgress. “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have her on our team and we have no doubt that her future endeavours will continue to hold the exploitative accountable and give space to Canadian workers’ voices.”