The federal government is pushing emergency legislation to force Canada Post employees back to work, while urging both sides to negotiate a deal.
Labour Minister Patty Hajdu tabled the bill in the House of Commons Thursday morning.
The Liberals also tabled a motion to fast-track the bill in order to pass it in a compressed time frame instead of pushing it through the normal three stages of readings and committee hearings that typically take several weeks. MPs will begin debating the motion Thursday, followed by debate on the bill, and CBCNews.ca will carry it live.
Canada Post is dealing with a fifth week of rotating strikes by thousands of unionized workers as both sides remain apart in contract negotiations.
Hajdu said Wednesday the government was “extremely serious” about back-to-work legislation. While the government did not relish the move, it became necessary because of the busy time of year when Canadians are relying on smooth-running mail delivery service.
NDP parliamentary leader Guy Caron suggested the government’s actions are emboldening Canada Post executives not to bargain in good faith.
“If I were a progressive Liberal, I would seriously begin to wonder how I could support a special law that would take away any leverage workers have, that is currently allowing Canada Post to not negotiate in good faith because it knows full well that the government will come and help it out of this mess,” he said in the House of Commons Wednesday.
Caron said it shows that the government is prepared to do anything to please web giants such as Amazon and eBay.
In response, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted the government is encouraging both sides to reach a deal, but was prepared to act if there is no “significant progress.”
“We have provided conciliation officers, appointed mediators and offered voluntary arbitration. Legislation is not a step that we take lightly,” he said.
The former Conservative government passed back-to-work legislation for Canada Post workers in 2011, which was subsequently challenged on constitutional grounds.
According to the website of Paul Cavalluzzo, the lawyer who handled the case, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled in favour of the postal workers five years later, on April 28, 2016, finding the legislation unconstitutional because it violated the workers’ freedom of association and expression as guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Canada Post vehicles sit idle during the rotating strike in Toronto on Wednesday. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)