House passes anti-scab legislation
OTTAWA • Cheers erupted in the House of Commons on Monday after MPS of all stripes unanimously voted in favour of legislation to ban replacement workers used during strikes and lockouts in federally regulated workplaces.
Speaking after the vote, Labour Minister Seamus O’regan said he was “very relieved, happy and delighted” that all MPS voted in favour of his bill, and said it sends a “real message” to workers across the country that “they are valued and that parliamentarians have heard them.”
“This is a big moment for workers in this country. It’s a big moment for labour, and we’re thrilled that it passed unanimously,” said O’regan.
The ban will affect federally regulated sectors including air travel, banks, railways, shipping, telecommunications and radio and TV broadcasters, as well as all Crown corporations, such as Canada Post and Canadian Air Transport Security Authority.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh took the credit for the legislation passing, thanks to his party’s supply-and-confidence deal with the government. The Liberal party had also promised to ban replacement workers as part of its election platform in 2021.
“I want to be clear, this would not have happened but for New Democrats forcing the government to do this,” Singh said.
The legislation will now be sent to the Senate, where it will be studied and eventually adopted. The changes will come into effect one year after the bill becomes law.
The initial bill proposed 18 months to come into effect, but it was amended to 12 months.
The Conservatives made it clear last February at second reading that they would support a ban on replacement workers as they seek to court the blue-collar vote.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said in a speech last month that his party supported the legislation because “working people have the right to bargain and fight for wage increases that they need in order to keep up with the galloping inflation that has ripped them off.”
Singh said he does not buy Poilievre’s position on replacement workers, arguing that he has voted against similar legislation multiple times in the past.
“When Conservatives are in power, they attack the strength of unions, they attack the strength of workers, so I have concerns ... based on facts, based on Pierre Poilievre’s record,” he said.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has been critical of the legislation.
“Replacement workers allow organizations in rail, ports, telecom and air to sustain a basic level of ‘lights on’ continuity that preserves critical services for Canadians,” Robin Guy, vice president and deputy leader of government relations for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, wrote in an op-ed in the Financial Post.