Labour Minister Patty Hajdu is facing sharp criticism from the country’s largest pilots’ union, which says her repeated use of federal strike‑ending powers has weakened workers’ constitutional rights and reshaped collective bargaining in favour of employers.In a submission to the Commons human resources committee, the Air Line Pilots Association International — representing 13,500 Canadian pilots — warned that federal strike bans have “now become commonplace,” creating an environment where employers assume Ottawa will intervene rather than negotiate.The committee is reviewing the government’s unprecedented reliance on Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, a clause that lets the labour minister take any action deemed necessary to “maintain or secure industrial peace.” Hajdu and the previous minister used the provision eight times in just 15 months, forcing unions into binding arbitration and halting legal strikes.Pilots argued the pattern has distorted bargaining. They wrote that the government’s “routine” use of Section 107 “tips the scale in favour of employers” and undermines free and fair negotiations..The union called for the clause to be repealed entirely, saying it strips workers of their constitutional right to strike and allows the minister to act unilaterally at the request of employers.Section 107 was intended as a last‑resort measure for extraordinary circumstances, the union said, but has instead become a “go‑to choice” for shutting down lawful job action. Its normalization, they argued, has destabilized labour relations across federally regulated industries.Hajdu defended the government’s record during November 25 testimony, insisting cabinet is not anti‑labour and has strengthened union rights since 2015.Conservative MP Colin Reynolds, a union electrician, countered that the frequent use of Section 107 bypasses parliamentary debate. He noted that historically, Parliament would convene to end a strike, giving Canadians a clear explanation for sending workers and employers to arbitration.
