TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan. 28, 2016) - "The Ontario Building Trades Council is gratified that the new federal government has repealed two of Mr. Harper's most anti-union, anti-worker laws today. Bill C-377 was the most draconian and arbitrary law that trade unionists have seen in decades," commented Patrick Dillon, Business Manager of the Council, adding that "the repeal of Bill C-525 will help restore balanced labour relations in Canada."
Bill C-377 would have required massive reporting and disclosure requirements on unions to the extent that unions would be spending a great deal of their time and resources reporting their activities to the government, when in fact provincial legislation requires unions to report to their members. The penalties for violations were substantial. The Bill's intent was to divert unions' attention away from serving their members, and away from organizing and enforcing collective agreements.
Bill C-525 amended labour laws in the federal sector to make it more difficult to achieve certification. It mimicked the law which former Premier Mike Harris brought in as part of his so-called 'Common Sense Revolution' in the province of Ontario, which was soundly rejected by voters in subsequent elections.
"Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with Employment, Workforce Development, and Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk, should be commended for their decision to rid us of Bill C-377, which most experts said was unconstitutional," pointed out Dillon, adding that "this kind of assault on trade unions has no place in Canada." In fact, during the Bill's debates, Conservative Senator Hugh Segal spoke out against it, saying that it was "harmful and divisive."
Dillon went on to say that these repeals demonstrate this government's appreciation of what unions have done to strengthen the role of the middle class.
The Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario represents 150,000 trades workers throughout the province.
Contact Information:
of Ontario
Patrick Dillon
(416) 347-8245
patrick@ontariobuildingtrades.com