An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code
This bill would remove a provision from the Canada Labour Code (section 107) that allows the federal government to force striking workers back to work by ordering binding arbitration or imposing other conditions to end a labour dispute.
Sponsor · Leah Gazan
Federal workers in sectors like transportation and communications would have a stronger right to strike, since the government could no longer step in to end their work stoppages shortly after they begin.
The debate · 4 points
Supporters say
- Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code has been used eight times in the past two years, often within hours of a strike starting. Supporters say this undermines workers' constitutional right to strike.
- Supporters argue that when the government can end a strike, employers have less reason to bargain in good faith, and unions may lose their main source of bargaining power.
- The Supreme Court of Canada recognized in 2016 that the right to strike is an essential part of collective bargaining. Supporters say repealing section 107 would respect that ruling.
Critics say
- The government has chosen to revise section 107 through Bill C-39 rather than repeal it. It says the changes add safeguards and do not weaken the right to strike. Critics of the bill dispute this, but the government's position is that repeal is not needed.
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