CUPE has submitted a comprehensive response to the federal government’s consultation on reforms to the Canada Labour Code and the federal labour relations framework.
In its submission, CUPE says the review should be used as an opportunity to strengthen collective bargaining rights, improve labour peace, and build a fairer economy for working people. CUPE has also warned the Carney government against using the review process to weaken workers’ rights, restrict the right to strike, or “Americanize” Canada’s labour laws to benefit large corporations and the super-rich.
CUPE says that recent federal interventions in collective bargaining disputes – including repeated use of Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code – have undermined free and fair bargaining by encouraging employers to delay negotiations and rely on government intervention rather than negotiating agreements at the table.
CUPE’s submission calls on the federal government to:
- protect and strengthen the constitutional right to strike
- reject proposals that would further delay or restrict collective bargaining
- improve protections against wage theft and worker misclassification
- strengthen health and safety protections
- expand successor rights and access to union representation
- ensure workers benefit from training and protections related to artificial intelligence and automation.
The submission also rejects calls from employer groups to model Canada’s labour laws on the United States system, warning that American-style labour relations have weakened unions and made it harder for workers to exercise collective power.
Strong labour rights create stability, fairness, and real labour peace. Any attempt to weaken collective bargaining rights would undermine democracy in the workplace, and amount to a major step backwards for workers in Canada.
You can read CUPE’s full submission here.
