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The Economy

During question period on the economy, members focused on Bill C-39, a government bill on labour relations that would add new mediation measures and other requirements to the collective bargaining process. The Bloc Québécois opposed the bill, saying it uses the current situation to give the Prime Minister excessive powers and that it restricts the right to strike, citing criticism from a Liberal women’s commission, the FTQ’s Magali Picard, and Indigenous leaders who say it conflicts with the UN declaration on Indigenous rights; the Bloc asked whether any minister would speak against the bill and called for it to be withdrawn. Government ministers replied that they would keep environmental standards unchanged while improving how regulations work, and defended Bill C-39 as adding special mediation and new approaches intended to help workers and employers reach agreements and prevent more strikes and lockouts. The Building Canada Act and related legislation were not the focus of the exchange shown.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

4 statements

Gabriel Ste-Marie

Bloc Québécois
“I oppose this bill. It uses the crisis to give the Prime Minister too much power. Even the Liberal women's group says these new powers must be limited, reported to Parliament, and reviewed. I want to know if any government minister will stand up and criticize this bill.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-39 is so bad that even the National Women’s Liberal Commission is against it. These courageous women are speaking out against the way the current crisis is being exploited to give the Prime Minister excessive powers. They want accelerated authorities to be reported to Parliament and subject to independent review, as well as being time-limited. These women are being sorely let down by their representatives in the government caucus, because no one has had the courage to criticize the overreach in Bill C-39. Will any minister have the courage to do that today?

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Julie Dabrusin

Liberal
“We will make our rules work better, but we will not lower our environmental standards. We will still build big projects like power plants because they help lower our emissions.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I am going to say this again, because I think it is very important to reiterate it for everyone here. We will work to improve the effectiveness of our regulations, but we will not change the environmental standards under those regulations. We will continue to protect the environment, but we will build major projects. These major projects, such as large-scale power generation projects, will actually help us reduce our emissions.

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Gabriel Ste-Marie

Bloc Québécois

Linked statement

“I want the government to throw out this bill. Union leaders say it takes away the right to strike and goes against the Constitution. Indigenous leaders say it is broken and violates the UN declaration on Indigenous rights.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, they are not doing a very good job. Speaking of strong women who oppose Bill C-39, on Monday, Magali Picard, of the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec, criticized the restrictions on the right to strike. She announced that she would challenge Bill C-39 all the way to the Supreme Court, arguing that it is unconstitutional and would impose the most restrictive labour regime in the G7. Yesterday, AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak likewise called for Bill C-39 to be withdrawn, because it is unsalvageably flawed and violates the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. When will the government finally realize that Bill C-39 belongs in the dumpster?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“The government needs to do more to stop strikes and lockouts. This bill adds new ways to help workers and employers agree on deals, so fewer disputes end in strikes.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Ms. Picard and I agree that the Government of Canada must invest more to prevent labour disputes, lockouts and strikes. That is why Bill C-39 proposes introducing special measures, special mediation, new techniques and new approaches. The goal is to ensure that not just 95%, but a much higher proportion of labour disputes are definitively resolved through collective agreements, rather than through strike action.

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