Bill C-39 represents a direct assault on the fundamental rights of working people across Canada. By embedding sweeping Section 107 powers into the Canada Labour Code, this legislation grants a single government minister the unchecked authority to strip away a union’s Charter-protected right to strike under the vague and arbitrary banner of the “national interest.”
Forcing workers into binding arbitration destroys fair collective bargaining and tilts the scales entirely toward corporate profit. Rather than fostering genuine labour peace, this undemocratic overreach strips working people of their ultimate leverage precisely when they need it most.
On behalf of the Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC), we stand in unyielding opposition to this overreach. From our foundational roots in resource sectors and industrial workplaces across British Columbia and beyond, the PPWC has consistently fought to protect rank-and-file democracy, fair working conditions, and the basic constitutional liberties of Canadian workers.
Collective bargaining is not a privilege handed down by politicians. It is a fundamental human right recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada. The freedom to withdraw labour is the cornerstone of any fair economic system. Without it, collective bargaining becomes nothing more than collective begging.
When the state uses Section 107 to intervene in labour disputes, it dismantles the democratic bargaining process. Employers are actively incentivized to stall negotiations, refuse fair wage adjustments, and ignore critical health and safety concerns, knowing the government will step in to silence workers and force an arbitrated settlement.
This sets a dangerous precedent for every sector in the country. If the state can routinely void the right to strike for port, rail, airline, or resource workers, no bargaining unit in Canada is safe from state-sanctioned wage suppression.
The PPWC demands an immediate repeal of these dangerous amendments to Section 107 in Bill C-39. True economic stability and long-term industrial peace are built on free, respectful, and equal negotiations at the bargaining table, not government intervention that prioritizes corporate balance sheets over human dignity. Organized labour will not sit quietly while the federal government legislates away our constitutional rights.
The PPWC will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our union sisters and brothers across the country to defend the right to strike, safeguard collective bargaining, and fight for economic justice for all working families.
Sincerely,
Chuck LeBlanc
National President, Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC)
Adrian Soldera
First Vice President, Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC)
