Canada's federal labour code reforms face union backlash over strike‑ending powers

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) submitted its second set of comments on the federal Labour Code, warning that the government’s proposal to codify the power to end lawful strikes (Section 107) would legitimize interference in collective bargaining. CLC President Bea Bruske said, “The government is asking the wrong question,” and called for the repeal of Section 107 along with reforms such as expedited grievance arbitration, stronger first‑contract dispute resolution, stricter enforcement against wage theft and paid medical leave.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government, with Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu, is holding a fresh round of consultations. Employer groups are pushing a “national public interest test” that would let the labour minister refer disputes in critical transportation sectors to binding arbitration before a strike, citing recent Air Canada and WestJet disputes as examples.

In related developments, Harvard’s Center for Labor and a Just Economy released a model state sectoral‑bargaining law for the United States, and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon over its delivery‑service practices.