CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick joined allies from the NDP, as well as First Nations, environment, and labour leaders at multiple events Thursday on Parliament Hill to raise the alarm about Bill C-39 and the threat it poses to the rights that define what it means to live in Canada.
Rennick stressed the importance of workers, environmental groups and First Nations standing together against threats to fundamental rights and environmental protections in the government’s omnibus Bill C-39.
“The changes to the labour code in Bill C-39 are, without question, a fundamental attack on Canadians’ constitutional right to strike,” said Rennick. “This bill doesn’t set guardrails - it sets government up to bulldoze our Charter-protected rights.”
Rennick warned that the legislation would give the federal government broad powers to end legal strikes for any reason it chooses, without any accountability to Parliament or the Canadian public.
She also criticized the government for trying to fast-track the legislation through a special committee rather than the usual parliamentary committee process.
“Prime Minister Carney has said he wants to build a modern Canadian economy. We want that too,” said Rennick. “Workers are Team Canada, and he will not achieve a robust and resilient Canadian economy by stepping on Canadian workers’ rights.”
