Labour Minister Patty Hajdu says Ottawa is searching for “better relationships” between unions and employers even as the federal government faces criticism for repeatedly intervening to shut down legal strikes across Canada.Speaking to reporters, Hajdu defended the government’s controversial use of Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, a clause Ottawa has invoked 10 times in just two years to halt labour disruptions and force disputes into arbitration.“We are looking at how we can improve relationships between unions and employers,” Hajdu said. “Although 97% of collective agreements are arrived at in the federal space without labour disruption, there are some sectors with high-profile, challenging complications that happen on a regular basis.”Between July 2023 and August 2025, the Liberal government used Section 107 to intervene in disputes involving postal workers, port workers, airline employees and mechanics.The affected unions included the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, CUPE locals representing port workers, Air Canada flight attendants, International Longshore and Warehouse Canada, the Teamsters, Unifor Local 333 and the WestJet Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association.Section 107 grants the labour minister authority to take actions deemed necessary to “maintain or secure industrial peace,” allowing Ottawa to effectively end strikes without introducing formal back-to-work legislation in Parliament.The government’s use of the provision is now facing legal challenges in Federal Court..“There’s been concerns about the use of Section 107 and yet the government does have a responsibility to foster industrial peace,” Hajdu said. “So the question is, if not 107, then what other tools could be useful both to employers but also to unions?”Labour groups have sharply criticized Ottawa’s interventions, accusing the federal government of undermining collective bargaining rights.The Canadian Labour Congress previously petitioned Parliament to repeal Section 107, arguing the government has used it to end strikes “simply by sending an email.”Congress president Bea Bruske warned senators last year the repeated interventions were damaging labour negotiations across the country.“We have been alarmed at the growing readiness of the federal government to intervene in labour relations, to terminate collective bargaining, to end legal strikes and to even outlaw legal strikes before they begin,” Bruske testified before the Senate transport and communications committee.“Ottawa’s readiness to intervene poisons collective bargaining,” she added. “It encourages employers to expect and rely on government intervention.”Bruske also argued the government has sidestepped democratic scrutiny by relying on Section 107 instead of introducing back-to-work legislation that would require debate and votes in the House of Commons.“Rather than tabling back-to-work legislation which would have to be debated in the House with rationale given, with arguments heard, with MPs voting, this is a much more politically expedient way for the government to get workers to come back to work,” she said.Hajdu has previously made little secret of her dislike for labour disruptions.When Ottawa intervened last August to halt a strike involving Air Canada flight attendants, Hajdu said plainly: “Strikes are very disruptive.”
