Liberals, opposition debate CP Rail stoppage but avoid discussing back-to-work legislation
CBC
While the CP Rail work stoppage has businesses calling for back-to-work legislation, the Liberal government and opposition MPs avoided discussing the idea as they debated next steps in the House of Commons Monday.
In question period, Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu said the agriculture and automotive sectors are being affected by the work stoppage already.
"What is the government's plan to immediately resolve this dispute?" she asked Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan.
O'Regan acknowledged that the work stoppage is happening at a bad time, given the supply chain woes already affecting the Canadian economy. He said the ongoing negotiations are the best option to bring the dispute to an end.
"Every day that goes by, for farmers and manufacturers in this country particularly, is an hour or a day too long and I think that the parties at the table know that," O'Regan said in the House.
"They have an enormous responsibility to Canadians to negotiate an agreement that protects supply chains that Canadians depend on. They are working hard. No one has left the table. Our party believes that the best deals are reached at the table."
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters in Ottawa on Monday that employing back-to-work legislation in a "cavalier" way would undermine the right of workers to use the ability to strike to improve working conditions.
"The fact that it's already something that's being raised before workers have a chance to negotiate sends a message to employers that they don't have to negotiate," Singh said. "And that's wrong."
CP Rail shut down Canadian operations Sunday after a work stoppage began just before midnight. More than 3,000 conductors, engineers, train and yard workers were picketing Sunday.
The company and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, the union representing the workers, started negotiating a new contract last September. The union said the main issues are wages, pensions and aspects of working conditions — such as not forcing employees to take federally mandated reset days when they're away from home.
Employees voted 97 per cent in favour of a strike March 3 and were in a legal strike position as of March 16 — the same day the company issued an ultimatum stating that a deal be would have to be reached by March 20 at midnight to prevent a lockout.
Federal mediators joined the talks March 11. Just before midnight Sunday, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference said in a media statement that the company was locking employees out.
The company and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference blamed each other for causing the work stoppage, though both also said they were still talking with federal mediators.
Several industry groups have raised the alarm about the potential economic impacts of a CP Rail shutdown at a time when many businesses are dealing with supply chain difficulties caused by the pandemic, extreme weather in B.C. and the recent blockades of border crossings by protesters. That's putting O'Regan under heavy pressure to legislate CP Rail workers back to work.
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