Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

OTTAWA - The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) applauds the adoption today, in second reading, of Bill C-257, the anti-scab legislation introduced by the Bloc Québécois.

“After several attempts to have this piece of legislation adopted,” says Patty Ducharme PSAC National Executive Vice-President, “Members of Parliament have finally accepted to give workers a more level playing field in their relations with their employers. It’s a great day for working women and men in Canada.”

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Bill C-257 is a Private Member’s Bill introduced by the Bloc MP for Gatineau, Richard Nadeau. It’s inspired by the anti-scab legislation currently in force in Québec, which prohibits employers from using strike-breakers during a strike or a lockout.  Today’s vote will send the Bill to a House of Commons Committee before coming back for a final vote.

The PSAC and other national unions worked extensively with the Canadian Labour Congress over the last months to secure MPs’ support for today’s vote. PSAC members such as the 400 Ekati diamond mine workers north of Yellowknife have suffered the consequences of having scabs in the workplace. During their 13-week strike last summer, the Ekati workers had to cope with replacement workers while they were on the picket line. The anti-scab Bill would put an end to this practice.

“We are proud of the work done by PSAC activists during the summer,” adds Ducharme. “They have met MPs in all regions to ask them to support a fair and balanced modification to the Canada Labour Code that will benefit working people.”