Liberals, Senate headed for legislative showdown over union bill
OTTAWA — The Liberal government has set up a showdown with the Senate over whether workers should be required to unionize through a secret ballot.
Labour Minister Patty Hajdu told the Commons on Friday that the government won’t agree to changes to one of the Liberal government’s first pieces of legislation, Bill C-4, that requires workers to sign unionization cards, known as the card check system, instead of holding a secret ballot in order to certify a bargaining unit.
Hajdu said the changes are needed to repair the damage done to labour relations and the union movement.
“What we’re talking about are people — people that work in Canada, people that deserve to work in fair, well-compensated, safe spaces and the union movement is critical to ensuring that happens in our country,” Hajdu said.