After returning from summer break, federal Liberals are expected to introduce an economy-focused bill while critics warn it could restrict the right to strike.
The Story
Members of Parliament are set to return to the House of Commons on Monday, kicking off the fall sitting with the government expected to introduce a wide-ranging bill it says is aimed at making Canada’s economy more resilient.
The government house leader, Steven MacKinnon, along with Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu and Canada–U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, are scheduled to hold a joint news conference on Monday after the legislation is introduced.
According to Hajdu, the bill’s goal is to reduce how often the federal government intervenes in the collective bargaining process, while MacKinnon said the measure is intended to make it easier for parties to reach labour agreements.
Labour representatives and other critics argue that the legislation could weaken workers’ ability to strike, which they say would diminish bargaining power rather than improve outcomes for negotiations.
A central concern raised by labour leaders is that the bill could effectively codify the government’s use of Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to quash strike actions when a dispute is described as threatening the national economic interest.
The government has used Section 107 in recent years to disrupt strike actions in sectors such as rail and ports, according to the report, and those actions have continued to face legal challenges.
MacKinnon has argued publicly that Canada has “too many” lockouts, strikes and threats of job action, saying the cycle harms investment and employment, while unions dispute that view and warn against measures that narrow strike rights.
Beyond the labour bill, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne is also poised to introduce another measure to extend an excise tax break on fuel, and a fall budget is described as in the works.
The fall sitting is also expected to be shaped by heightened trade tensions with the United States, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s continued pressure on Canada and further threats to escalate tariffs if an agreement is not reached by the end of the year.
The negotiating team walked away from a potential agreement in August, with the report saying the items under discussion would have amounted to a bad deal for Canada; since then, the conflict has escalated through additional U.S. tariffs and Canada’s counter-tariffs, while Trump has also taken steps described as targeting specific Canadian imports.
With Liberals retaining a majority after the arrival of three new MPs following last month’s byelections, the report notes there are still six vacant seats that will require additional byelections over coming months across constituencies previously held by the Liberals, Conservatives, Bloc Québécois and NDP.
← More stories