(Ottawa) Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says he has not decided whether or not he is in favor of the bill which will prohibit the use of replacement workers during a strike or lockout, but assured Monday that his political party takes the side of the workers.
“Conservatives stand in solidarity with workers who are fighting for pay increases to recoup what they lost to ‘Justinflation,'” he said at a press scrum in Kelowna, BC. British Columbia.
Mr. Poilievre said that the number of strikes is increasing sharply in the country. “Because after eight years of Justin Trudeau, inflation is the worst in 40 years,” he said. Inflation causes strikes. »
The Liberals presented their bill last week which concerns businesses under federal jurisdiction, such as financial institutions, telecommunications, broadcasting, maritime transport, air transport, interprovincial and international transport.
The announcement delighted the unions who had been waiting for it for decades, but displeased employers, some of whom saw it as an imbalance in the balance of power between the parties for the benefit of workers.
The Conservative leader, who is trying to seduce workers and grab votes from the New Democratic Party, has been silent until now on the subject. A bit like the proposed national dental care program, he intends to “study” the measure before making a decision.
However, he listed his own “common sense” proposals, such as ending carbon pricing “to reduce the cost of gasoline, (of) diesel and (of) food”, of “capping” the spending and balance the budget and lower taxes “so Canadians take home more of their paychecks.”
The Canadian Labor Congress had not responded to an interview request from The Canadian Press at the time of publication, but in a recent statement, its president, Bea Bruske, affirmed that Mr. Poilievre “hides his true agenda behind a populist discourse.
She also criticized him for having been a minister in a government that cut health care, imposed austerity measures, adopted anti-union laws and helped wealthy companies pay even less tax.
The introduction of an anti-scab bill by the end of the year was one of the main elements of the “support and confidence” agreement which allows the minority Liberal government to remain in power. power with the support of the NDP.
New Democratic leader Jagmeet Singh appeared all smiles in front of journalists in Ottawa on Thursday, in the foyer of the House of Commons, flanked by his caucus and union leaders.
Although an anti-scab bill constitutes an electoral commitment by the Liberals, the NDP considers that if it were not for the agreement, the Liberals would “never” have moved from words to action.
The left-wing party claims to have introduced an anti-scab bill eight times in the last 15 years and that the Liberals and Conservatives voted against it when there was a vote in 2016.
The Bloc Québécois calculates that it has tabled similar bills no less than 11 times in 20 years and is, a priori, favorable to the legislative piece.
“The duration of labor disputes lasts twice as long in Canada as in Quebec, which has had an anti-scab law since the 1970s,” argued the Bloc labor spokesperson, Louise Chabot.