Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today after a busy summer in my riding of Milton East—Halton Hills South to speak to Bill C-39, the building Canada strong act, and to the important balance this legislation seeks to strike between economic growth, business investment and the protection of Canadian workers. This legislation recognizes something that I believe is fundamental to Canada’s economic future: We cannot build a stronger economy without stronger business and we cannot build stronger business without an equally strong workforce. These two things should never be competing goals, because they vitally depend on one another. I was raised in a blue-collar, working-class home. My mom was a long-term care nurse for over three decades, and my father learned the carpentry trade after immigrating from Italy, before working as a truck driver. I learned from my parents that work can be hard, but it can be meaningful when properly recognized and supported. Canada faces a rapidly changing global economy and we have an opportunity to meet the moment and attract new investment, expand Canadian businesses, strengthen our domestic supply chains and build major projects that create good jobs. However, as we do that, we also have a responsibility to ensure that workers have safe workplaces, fair wages, meaningful collective bargaining agreements and the protections they need to succeed. That balance is particularly important in critical sectors like aviation, ports, railways and logistics, industries that Canadians rely on every day. Bill C-39 would require earlier bargaining in higher-risk situations with the goal of preventing labour disruptions before they occur, and its measures are designed to strengthen the collective bargaining process. For example, parties in high-risk relationships would need to begin the bargaining process at least six months before the current CBA expires, and the conciliation period would be extended from 60 days to 90 days, giving both sides more time to negotiate before a dispute escalates. Accordingly, a key part of our labour reform is the introduction of a special mediator, who would have a defined 21-day mandate to work with both parties during the conciliation period. Most importantly, this process would not eliminate the right to strike. I believe that collective bargaining should remain the foundation of Canada’s labour relations system. Workers and employers should be able to negotiate their own agreements, and government intervention should not become a substitution for bargaining. That being said, there are exceptional circumstances where a labour dispute can have consequences that extend well beyond the parties at the bargaining table. This brings me to section 107 of the Canada Labour Code. Section 107 gives the Minister of Labour the authority to take measures considered necessary to maintain or secure industrial peace and promote conditions favourable to the settlement of industrial disputes. Members may remember the dispute between flight attendants and a national airline in August last year. I have many flight attendants and airport workers who live in my riding, just a short drive from Toronto Pearson Airport, and many of them contacted my office to explain the conditions of their work. Likewise, I received calls from those impacted by the unexpected cancelling of flights, about families who were stranded, cargo that was delayed and businesses that were affected. Many will say that labour strikes are supposed to be painful and disruptive, and those people are right. That is how we experience just how crucial the role of the striking worker is. We all profoundly feel the absence of their work. It impacts our lives and it impacts their lives. That particular strike was ended using section 107. Our government ordered an inquiry into the very valid grievances of the attendants. I publicly responded at that time, acknowledging the crucial work that flight attendants provide to keep our economy moving, and I expressed my disappointment that more time was not available for meaningful bargaining between the parties. We know that the best, fairest and most comprehensive deals are the ones made at the bargaining table by the parties themselves. Bill C-39 is our government’s response to this. It proposes a clearer framework for when those powers can be used, providing greater protections for collective bargaining. Section 107 should always be a genuine last resort, not something that is used simply because of a strike or lockout being inconvenient. Bill C-39 introduces clear guardrails and greater accountability by requiring a special mediator to investigate and provide a public report to the minister outlining the following: firstly, the issues in dispute; secondly, the parties’ positions on those issues; thirdly, the extent of the parties’ participation in the process; and lastly, the likelihood of reaching a negotiated settlement. Only after considering this new report would the minister be able to consider invoking section 107. We must recognize that federally regulated industries are essential to maintaining our economy and protecting Canadians. That is why there needs to be a clear and transparent process for responding to disputes at major ports, railways and other critical infrastructure. Bill C-39 attempts to establish that process, while maintaining collective bargaining as the primary means of resolving disputes. Our country needs a system that provides balance between protecting our economy and protecting our workers, which is why Bill C-39 proposes several other labour protections regarding worker misclassification, wage theft, workplace safety and stronger support through the wage earner protection program. Over the summer, I spoke with many union leaders, including from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, who represent airline workers in my riding. They expressed concerns over what they call “contract flipping”, where contracts are retendered and subcontractors are switched, which can negatively affect workers and their wages. This bill would extend successor rights in certain contract retendering situations in airports and air transportation, helping preserve union representation and collective agreements when a contract moves from one contractor to another. I will speak a little about business investment as well. Not only do workers deserve certainty, but businesses do too. For businesses considering whether to expand, invest, hire or build new facilities in Canada, uncertainty is very costly. If approvals take years longer than anticipated, investment can and often does move elsewhere. I have heard many similar stories from businesses in my riding. Canada is competing for investment with countries around the world. Our system must be rigorous but also predictable. This bill proposes a more coordinated federal approval process, with the goal of one project, one review, one year, but we do not need to choose between upholding Canada’s strong environmental protections and streamlining project reviews. We can do both and must do both. Businesses need to know what the rules are, and workers need to know that those rules will protect them. Communities need to know that projects will be properly assessed, and indigenous communities must continue to have meaningful opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their rights and interests. A modern economy should be capable of doing all these things at the same time. Bill C-39 also recognizes that expanding Canadian businesses requires more than just approving individual projects. We need stronger transportation corridors. We need reliable ports and railways. We need efficient supply chains, and we need to reduce unnecessary duplication for businesses. This is particularly important at a time when Canada is working to diversify its trade relationships and strengthen the economy. We cannot control what other nations do, but we can control whether Canada is prepared to compete. We can make it easier for businesses to invest and easier to build. We can strengthen our infrastructure and protect Canadian workers, and we can create a labour relations system that encourages employers and unions to reach agreements together. That is the balance that I see reflected in Bill C-39. It is about recognizing that Canada’s economic success depends on both workers and business. We need a framework that encourages investment while maintaining strong standards, and we need collective bargaining that really works. We need safe workplaces. We need fair treatment for workers. We need an approval system that gives businesses the confidence to put capital to work in Canada. Canada has tremendous economic potential. We have skilled workers, entrepreneurs who want to grow, natural resources, manufacturing capacity, infrastructure, and communities ready to build, but potential alone is just not enough. We need to create the conditions for Canadians to turn that potential into investment, jobs, innovation and long-term economic security, while ensuring that the workers who make growth possible are protected and have meaningful voices. Bill C-39 would bring these objectives together to make our economy more competitive, protect workers, make the regulatory process more predictable and uphold environmental protections and indigenous consultation requirements. It seeks to ensure that when labour disputes become particularly serious, there is a transparent and structured process before exceptional government authority is used as a last resort. What I and I expect many Canadians want to see is more investment, more businesses expanding, more projects getting built, more Canadians working good, well-paying jobs and stronger protections for those workers. That is the balance we should continue working toward.