CUPE vows open defiance against C-39's labour law changes
· Toronto Sun
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OTTAWA — They’re not going down without a fight.
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That was the message Canada’s largest public servants’ union had for the Mark Carney government on Thursday, vowing open defiance against proposed federal legislation in the government’s omnibus bill C-39, aimed at curbing labour disruptions targeting critical Canadian infrastructure.
“We believe that the only people that should be deciding when strikes end are the workers,” Candace Rennick, national secretary-treasurer of CUPE Canada, said during a press conference in Ottawa.
“If locals who are out on strike want to defy, our union will stand with them and we will defy that because it’s CUPE members and CUPE members only that should decide when their picket lines will end.”
Unions vowing to fight changes
Tabled late last month, Bill C-39 — the Building Canada Strong Act — is intended to fast-track major infrastructure and “nation-building” projects by setting strict one-year caps on impact assessments and permit approvals.
The bill also introduces sweeping changes to Canada’s labour laws, allowing cabinet to summarily extend expired contracts, order striking workers back to work and force binding arbitration if the strike poses “significant adverse national impact.”
That rankled Canadian labour groups, who claim the changes would essentially end the right to strike for many Canadian workers.
“Canadians elected Mark Carney in part because they wanted a strong, strategic response to Donald Trump and to build our economy,” Rennick said. “You don’t build our economy and provide a strong strategic response by trampling on the rights of workers.”
Bill would give Canada most powerful strikebreaking laws in G7
Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, had previously told the Toronto Sun that C-39 would give Canada powers unique amongst other G7 nations.
“This legislation is more restrictive than what we see in any other G7 country, including the United States, where the President of the United States does not have the power to actually send workers back to work,” she said during Thursday’s press conference.
“(The United States) have the power to pause a strike or a lockout, but they don’t actually have the right to send workers back to work. We would be the only G7 country where a minister has that right.”
Withdrawing labour is one of the few avenues available to workers to enhance their quality of life, Rennick maintained.
“Gas prices aren’t going down, housing prices aren’t going down, the affordability crisis is skyrocketing,” Rennick said. “This Prime Minister needs to stand up for workers and protect the right to strike. It’s fundamental in this country.”
The House of Commons is set to vote on whether to advance C-39 to second reading on Thursday.
“Governments cannot legislate labour peace,” Rennick said.
“If this government continues down this path of ramming through legislation that tramples workers’ rights, I offer to you that we will see much more disruptive defiance.”