Conservatives agree to advance anti-scab bill

Photo: Justin Tang The Canadian Press Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan said before the vote that it would be a test of whether the Conservatives actually support workers' rights.

The Canadian Press in Ottawa

February 28, 2024

• Canada

Conservatives voted in favor of a bill that would ban the use of “replacement workers” during strikes or lockouts in federally regulated workplaces.

This is the first time that Pierre Poilievre's party has publicly taken a position on this bill.

Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan said before the vote that it would be a test of whether the Conservatives actually support workers' rights.

Some union leaders have warned their members in recent months about Mr. Poilievre, saying the Conservative leader uses “working class” language but is in fact a threat for Canadian workers.

The House of Commons voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to send the bill to committee for further study.

The bill advances a policy that the New Democrats included in their political pact with the minority Liberal government.

In Quebec, the Labor Code has prevented an employer under provincial regulation from using strikebreakers since 1977. The Bloc Québécois has in the past tabled several private member's bills in the Commons to extend this measure to federally regulated employers, without success.