Discussion · Government Orders
Heather McPherson NDP
“Major unions warned the government that this bill hurts workers' right to strike. It gives the minister too much power to stop legal strikes. I want the minister to explain why he ignored those warnings and remove those powers from the bill.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Labour Congress, Unifor, the United Steelworkers, Teamsters Canada and other unions representing millions of workers across this country have told the government very clearly that Bill C-39’s new powers would undermine the fundamental right of workers to strike, to withhold their labour. These organizations participated in the Liberals’ sham consultations. They raised these concerns directly, and yet the government proceeded with legislation that would give the minister extraordinary new powers to intervene in a legal strike. Why did the minister ignore the warnings from Canada’s labour movement, and will he commit to removing these new powers from Bill C-39?”
Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Labour Congress, Unifor, the United Steelworkers, Teamsters Canada and other unions representing millions of workers across this country have told the government very clearly that Bill C-39’s new powers would undermine the fundamental right of workers to strike, to withhold their labour. These organizations participated in the Liberals’ sham consultations. They raised these concerns directly, and yet the government proceeded with legislation that would give the minister extraordinary new powers to intervene in a legal strike. Why did the minister ignore the warnings from Canada’s labour movement, and will he commit to removing these new powers from Bill C-39?