Canada could face longer and potentially violent labour disputes if the Carney government's proposed new powers to shut down legal strikes become law, union leaders warned MPs.Blacklock's Reporter says executives from two of Canada's largest labour organizations told a Commons committee reviewing Bill C-39 that the legislation would give Labour Minister Patty Hajdu sweeping authority to intervene in federally regulated workplaces without parliamentary approval.The proposed amendments, included in an omnibus budget bill, would allow the minister to end strikes at ports, airports, railways and other federally regulated industries if they are deemed harmful to the national interest.Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, warned the changes could undermine collective bargaining rather than prevent disruptions.“That is not going to end strikes and labour disputes in this country,” Bruske told the Commons legislative committee.“It will make them more unpredictable, potentially longer and potentially violent.”Bill C-39, An Act Respecting Certain Measures To Strengthen The Economy, would authorize the labour minister to “take any measure the minister considers necessary” to stop lawful strikes considered detrimental to the national interest.The legislation defines that interest broadly, including any significant economic impact or social disruption.Bruske argued the wording would effectively allow the minister to determine when workers can exercise their right to strike.“Labour peace is fragile,” she said.“The proposed new powers for the minister effectively remove the right to strike from workers. Taking away the right to strike is not going to eliminate labour conflict. It takes away the legal framework for resolving it.”Bruske said the government risks creating further uncertainty by replacing established collective bargaining procedures with ministerial intervention.“What looks like greater stability on paper is going to create more instability,” she said..Union representatives also raised concerns that the proposed legislation could allow the government to bypass Federal Court rulings involving previous interventions in labour disputes.Four legal challenges are currently pending over the federal cabinet's use of similar executive powers.According to union officials, Ottawa has exercised those powers 10 times over the past two years, including interventions involving port workers and flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees.CUPE national president Mark Hancock accused the government of attempting to strip workers of fundamental bargaining rights.“Governments should stay the hell out of bargaining,” Hancock told MPs.“I am here with a simple message on behalf of our members from all across Canada. CUPE will fight any attempts at undermining our right to strike.”Hancock said previous governments seeking to force striking employees back to work were at least required to introduce legislation and defend their decisions before Parliament.“Previous governments that tried to end lawful strikes at least had the courage to introduce back-to-work legislation,” he said.“They faced questions from the Opposition. Those debates at least had the veneer of parliamentary oversight.”Under Bill C-39, the minister would have broader authority to intervene without the same legislative process.Hancock warned the changes could intensify labour conflicts and encourage workers to challenge government intervention.“This is a recipe for more disasters,” he said.He also maintained union members would continue defending their ability to withdraw services during legal labour disputes, regardless of whether the proposed legislation passes.The union opposition comes despite Hajdu's earlier suggestion that some labour organizations support the government's approach.Speaking to reporters September 25, Hajdu disputed suggestions that the labour movement was united against the proposed powers.“I don’t think all labour is upset,” she said.“I’ve spoken with labour unions that are not upset. They understand that what the tools are there for, are for those very specific cases. In fact, what labour told us was don’t upset the apple cart.”Hajdu did not publicly identify any union endorsing Bill C-39 in the remarks cited.Union leaders maintain the legislation would give the federal government unprecedented discretion to interfere in lawful strikes while weakening workers' ability to negotiate collective agreements.The proposed changes remain under parliamentary review.
