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Labour

Question period covered Bill C-39, which makes changes to the Canada Labour Code around collective bargaining, including new mediation powers and rules for first agreements, as part of broader legislation. The Bloc Québécois said unions testifying at committee had called the bill an attack on workers, arguing employers would table lower offers knowing the government would intervene, and said the Liberals were going further against unions than the Conservatives. The Liberal minister replied that the bill is meant to encourage employers and unions to reach agreements themselves, and said it would also help major projects move ahead, adding that the opposition leader had been wrong about the Churchill Falls hydro project.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

2 statements

Andréanne Larouche

Bloc Québécois

Linked statement

“I oppose this bill. Unions all agree that it attacks workers. Employers will make worse offers because they know the government will step in. The Liberals are acting even more against unions than the Conservatives.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in committee, the unions were unanimous: Bill C‑39 is an attack on workers. According to the machinists’ representative, the employer will always put the lowest offer on the table knowing that the government will intervene. The Canadian Labour Congress representative said that she did not believe for a minute that the bill will improve the collective bargaining process and that it will embolden employers to hold out and not get a deal. How can the Liberals be even more anti-union than the Conservatives?

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“This bill encourages employers and unions to make deals together. It also helps get major projects built across the country. The opposition leader was wrong to dismiss the Churchill Falls project, which Hydro-Québec calls the biggest renewable energy project in North America.”

  • A repeated line

    “I have a great deal of respect for my colleague.”

    Said 7 times by 6 members since April 24.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for my opposition colleague, and I thank her for her question. However, that is not our vision at all. What we are trying to do is encourage the parties to reach an agreement, because we believe that the best agreement is always the one that is reached at the bargaining table. That is our aim here. The objective of Bill C‑39 is to get major projects built across the country. I want to point out that the last time we were in the House, the member’s leader mocked the project in Churchill Falls, saying that our major project was in Newfoundland and Labrador, as though the Churchill Falls project would have no impact whatsoever on Quebec. That is a very narrow-minded view that I find quite baffling. To quote the CEO of Hydro-Québec, Churchill Falls is the largest renewable energy project in North America. Prosperity—

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