Patty Hajdu

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-58, which came into force on June 20, 2025, amended the Canada Labour Code by prohibiting the use of replacement workers during a strike. We expect all federally regulated employers, including Crown corporations, to abide by labour standards as set out in the Labour Code. If a union or an employee believes an employer is illegally using replacement workers, they can file a complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board. I will note that the CIRB is an independent, quasi-judicial body and tribunal. Any complaints made to the CIRB will be dealt with as the CIRB deems appropriate.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House to highlight the labour components of Bill C-39. Today, I will outline the labour components of the bill and how they would strengthen labour relations in federally regulated sectors. We know that a strong economy depends on a strong workforce and strong relationships between workers and their employers. Workplaces with healthy labour relations have the stability and the confidence to invest and grow. The labour components of the bill are designed to strengthen good-faith bargaining and worker protections in Canada's federally regulated workplaces. The Canada Labour Code is a framework that supports workers and employers in federally regulated sectors, such as interprovincial transportation, banking and telecommunications. The framework and the tools within it help 95% of federally regulated workplaces renew their collective agreements without labour disruption. For the other 5%, getting to a renewed agreement is much more difficult and some present cycles of an inability to conclude agreements without labour disruption. This cycle is often self-reinforcing, as relationships between workers and the employer often remain strained. The inability to resolve their disputes together further places the next collective bargaining process at risk. This is unfortunate, because all parties agree that the best deals are the ones that they arrive at together. We asked employers, workers and Canadians how to improve the tools of the federal government that are offered to parties and that can help them get to agreements in a better way. We heard that, for the most part, Canada's labour relations system works well. We also heard that existing tools do not always help resolve the most complex and contentious disputes. That is why Bill C-39 focuses first and foremost on strengthening the tools, supports and processes to help workers and employers find solutions together. The bill focuses on three priorities. First, we would be modernizing collective bargaining with strengthened tools and additional supports. This means earlier engagement, helping to rebuild labour management relationships following disputes, adding supports for first collective agreements, providing more time for parties to reach an agreement and laying the groundwork for expedited grievance arbitration and an administrative monetary penalty regime for bad-faith bargaining. Second, the bill would strengthen workers' protections. We would increase our government's capacity to protect workers from wage theft, misclassification and workplace accidents, and we would make it easier for the conclusion of a first collective agreement. We would also protect airport workers by preserving their union representation and collective agreements when contracts change hands. Finally, we would be clarifying section 107 of the Labour Code and defining clear requirements for the use of this last resort tool. It bears repeating that 95% of federal collective agreements are renewed without labour disruption. The new tools in Bill C-39 are designed to help parties in high conflict focus on transparent solution-focused bargaining. The bill would also place clear guardrails around the use of section 107, which permits a minister to refer a dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board. The use of section 107 would move to a tool of last resort, only usable once parties had gone through an intensive, transparent process to resolve their differences and only usable after a strike begins. First, a special mediator would be appointed to work intensively with the parties and help them reach an agreement. The parties would then have five days after the receipt of the report from the mediator to get to an agreement. If the parties were still not able to resolve their differences, the special mediator report would be made public. Second, an assessment of national interest would be made that considers economic impact and social impact, and balances the constitutional right to strike. Third, importantly, a strike would actually need to have commenced. This new guardrail would prevent the pre-emptive use of section 107, strengthening workers' rights to strike. The overwhelming majority of collective bargaining negotiations will proceed as usual. Canada's workers are the foundation of a stronger Canada. Every major project, every infrastructure and every opportunity to grow our economy depends on Canadian workers. A stronger workforce means a stronger economy. A stronger economy means a stronger Canada. These labour measures would help build Canada strong.

Mr. Speaker, we worked extensively with employers and labour unions, and of course Canadians, who all told us that it is very important to uphold a collective right to strike. It is in our Constitution. That is exactly what this legislation would do. It would address the challenges that workers are having in their workplaces, in particular around those first collective agreements, which can also be very difficult to arrive at. Importantly, it would strengthen workers' rights to be able to pursue a strike without the pre-emptive interference of the government. Finally, it would put the onus on the parties themselves to get to an agreement by using new tools, especially in high-conflict relationships. That is a very important new process that I believe will help parties get a deal at the table where it ought to be made.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Labour does have the responsibility and the right to use the Canada Labour Code to foster industrial peace. Section 107 is not the only tool that ministers have used in the past to end labour disruption because of national economic interest. As the member would know, this House has been used to pass back-to-work legislation, which is obviously a worst-case scenario for everyone, including the employers, the employees and certainly the government. The legislation that we are proposing today in Bill C-39 would actually bring the responsibility back to the table, between the employers and the workers, where that decision ought to be made, to form collective agreements to help workers and companies into the next—

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has risen many times and talked about the importance of good union jobs as an outcome of build Canada strong. In fact, that is why the Building Trades Unions stood with the Prime Minister a year ago or so as we announced the creation of the Major Projects Office. It is why it has been so supportive of the team Canada strong approach to ensuring that young people choose the trades and that apprentices can complete their studies, resulting in full Red Seal certification. I will say, as a proud mother of a Red Seal crane operator, this is something that I know is very important, and we have these incredible professionals across the country who can help build Canada strong.