Canada's largest labour organization is accusing Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem of violating federal labour law after the central bank twice faced rulings over its use of replacement workers during an ongoing strike by security guards.Blacklock's Reporter says the Canadian Labour Congress issued an open letter Thursday condemning the Bank of Canada for hiring replacement security personnel during a five-week labour dispute involving 49 members of Public Service Alliance of Canada Local 71250.“It is especially troubling that this conduct is coming from the Bank of Canada,” Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske wrote to Macklem and the federal government.“As one of Canada’s foremost public institutions, Canadians rightly expect it to demonstrate respect for the laws passed by Parliament.”The security guards began a legal strike on June 23. Since then, the Canada Industrial Relations Board has twice cited the Bank of Canada for using replacement workers supplied by Pinkerton and Garda Canada Security.Bruske said the central bank's actions undermine legislation Parliament passed to strengthen workers' rights.“Parliament enacted Canada’s anti-replacement worker provisions to protect collective bargaining and workers’ constitutional right to strike,” she wrote.“Repeated non-compliance undermines both the law and confidence in Canada’s labour relations system.”.She described the Bank of Canada's conduct as being of “profound concern” and called on Ottawa to make it clear that federally regulated employers are not exempt from the Canada Labour Code.“We urge the Government of Canada to make clear no federally regulated employer is above the law and that compliance with the Canada Labour Code is not optional,” Bruske wrote.Macklem did not publicly respond to the allegations.Appearing before the House of Commons finance committee on May 4, Macklem praised Canada's workforce, describing it as one of the country's greatest strengths.“I think we have a very well-educated labour force in this country,” he told MPs. “We have among the highest rates of postsecondary education in the world. That is a real strength of the country.”Parliament passed Bill C-58 in 2024, prohibiting federally regulated employers from using replacement workers during legal strikes and lockouts. Employers who violate the legislation can face fines of up to $100,000 per day.While promoting the legislation, then-labour minister Seamus O'Regan told senators the changes were designed to strengthen collective bargaining and protect the constitutional right to strike.“There is something fundamentally wrong with protecting a worker’s right to strike as the Constitution does and then say they sit on their hands while they watch other people go by and do work,” O'Regan said during Senate committee hearings.He added that the government intended the legislation to function effectively for both unions and employers, calling it “utterly historic” labour reform.
