The Government of Canada is committed to free and fair collective bargaining. This includes maintaining a fair and balanced approach to labour relations in Canada.
To this effect, the Government is committed to introducing legislation by the end of 2023 to prohibit the use of replacement workers in federally regulated workplaces during a strike or lockout. This will make sure that all workers in federally regulated sectors continue to benefit from a meaningful right to strike.
Today, the Minister of Labour, Seamus O'Regan Jr., launched consultations to hear from Canadians and stakeholders on this commitment. The Government is also taking advantage of this opportunity to hear from stakeholders and Canadians on improving the maintenance of activities process, about which stakeholders have raised concerns. By improving this process, the Government will seek to limit interruptions to and protect collective bargaining while continuing to protect Canadians during a work stoppage. However, the Government is not looking to expand the types of services that need to be maintained during a strike or lockout.
As a part of the consultation, the Government is looking for input on various elements, such as:
- first-hand experiences with replacement workers and the maintenance of activities process;
- potential impacts of the changes on stakeholders and their operations;
- suggestions for change; and
- key policy-design questions.
Employers, employer representatives, unions, workers, national Indigenous organizations and other key stakeholders and interested parties are invited to share their feedback on prohibiting the use of replacement workers and improving the maintenance of activities process by December 16, 2022. Following the consultation period, the feedback received will inform the development of legislation.
