Sébastien Lemire

“Madam Speaker, Canada is making headway in the world as it is, not passively waiting for the world we wish it to be. We are focused on what we can control. We are building a stronger, more independent and more sustainable economy. We are leveraging our strengths and moving quickly to open new markets, strengthen supply chains and accelerate projects across the country. We are also making sure that workers have the security and opportunities they need to succeed during these times. This success requires a modern labour framework that protects and supports Canadian workers and workplaces. This is particularly important in the federally regulated sectors. These are the sectors that underpin Canada’s economic growth, trade, supply chains and major projects. Bill C-39 features a suite of new measures to support the workers who will build them and help them thrive in the future. Canadian workers are at the heart of Canada’s economic strength, but the increased demand on critical infrastructure requires stronger worker protections. Bill C-39 is heavily informed by consultations with unions, employers and indigenous partners across Canada, and they all confirmed the need for increased workplace protections that keep up with our rapidly changing economy and workplaces. Unions and employers may not always see eye to eye, but worker protection was a subject upon which they could all agree. Bill C-39 features a slew of worker supports that have been proposed through both legislative amendments and non-legislative investments. I will take a moment to outline each of these measures, starting with the ones that address health and safety. Workplace safety is and will always be a top priority for the Government of Canada because there is nothing more important than returning home safely after a day’s work. We know workplace injuries, including psychological ones, are costly for workers and their families, and also for the employer. We are also aware that our core workplace safety precautions in federally regulated workplaces are not perfect and that there are still gaps in enforcement. That is why we sought input from both employee and employer groups to strengthen these protections. Their input was invaluable and helped shape our way forward. Bill C-39 is backed by targeted investments to hire new health and safety officers. That means more inspections, more prevention and more protective enforcement to ensure that workers return home safely from work, because we know safe and modern workplaces benefit employees and businesses alike. I would like to talk now about driver misclassification in the road transport sector. Under the so-called Driver Inc. model, some carriers push drivers to incorporate. These drivers are treated as independent businesses, even though they drive the carrier’s truck on the carrier’s schedule and are, in every way that matters, an employee. The problem is that these drivers can then lose access to important protections they would be entitled to as employees. These include minimum wage, paid leave, employment insurance, the Canada pension plan and health protections. Unfortunately, it is often the most vulnerable workers who are hit the hardest, including newcomers to Canada. The code already makes it clear that this is an illegal practice and it needs to stop. It hurts drivers and it puts honest employers that follow the rules at an unfair disadvantage. The Canadian Trucking Alliance, the national voice of the trucking industry, has been calling for stronger action for years. It has welcomed Bill C-39 as an opportunity to give the government better tools to recover the wages workers are owed. The bill builds on work already well under way. Prevention has always been at the core of the labour program’s approach. A dedicated team of labour program officers meet directly with employers and drivers to explain their responsibilities and rights under the code. They also work proactively with partners, including the provinces and territories, to crack down on driver misclassification. This is done through proactive and targeted inspections, outreach and education. In the road transportation sector, this has included inspection blitzes in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area and in Montreal. Since 2023, more than 1,800 inspections and outreach and awareness activities have been conducted in the sector. Drivers deserve fair treatment, and employers who follow the rules deserve a fair chance to compete. That is why Bill C-39 builds on previous measures with additional support and more inspectors to continue this important work. I would like to switch gears, from trucking to the airline industry. Our airports connect Canadian businesses and travellers to the world, but today, when an airport service contract is retendered, workers who continue doing the same job lose their union certification and their collective agreement. Bill C-39 changes that. This legislation will extend successor rights in cases of contract retendering in the air transportation industry at airports. These protections will apply to all Canadian airports. This means airport workers will keep both their union representation and their collective agreements when their contract changes from one contractor to another. This measure was strongly supported by unions during our consultations, and it was not opposed in principle by employers. That certainly means stability for workers and for the airport that depends on them. This will go a long way in helping to strengthen protections for workers and promoting worker stability and fairness. Protecting workers’ wages has always been a cornerstone of the Government of Canada’s labour framework. Our wage earner protection program already provides financial support to Canadian workers who have lost their jobs and are owed wages by their insolvent employers. Since its creation in 2008, it has paid almost $750 million in unpaid wages to more than 210,000 Canadians. Behind every payment is a worker who lost a job but did not get paid. Bill C-39 will strengthen the integrity and stewardship of this program. This will be accomplished by addressing gaps to ensure more predictable payments while preventing the misuse of insolvency mechanisms. This will help ensure that payments happen the way they should, when they should. Eligible workers deserve no less. I would like to talk about paid medical leave and the measures in Bill C-39 to address an issue that has posed challenges of late. Since December 2022, employees in the federally regulated private sector have been entitled to earn and take up to 10 days of medical leave with pay per year. However, there have been concerns about stacking of benefits with negotiated or employer-provided leave regimes that are equivalent or greater. We have addressed this issue in Bill C-39, more clearly explaining how the paid leave provisions work. The bill clarifies that employees who are entitled to more favourable paid sick leave benefits in their collective agreement are not also eligible to the code’s medical leave provisions on top of it. In this way, Bill C-39 will maintain access to up to 10 days of paid medical leave for all employees, while providing much needed clarity on an important yet sometimes misunderstood topic in federally regulated sectors. Canadians are counting on us to work together to support them and secure Canada’s long-term prosperity, and Bill C-39 does just that. The worker support items in Bill C-39 will help Canada build more, build efficiently and build stronger, so I encourage all members of the House of Commons to support this landmark legislation and help stabilize our labour landscape, because it takes all of us pulling in the same direction to build Canada strong.”