By Canadian Press

Debate begins on replacement workers bill, as Poilievre stays mum on Tory position

Nov 22, 2023 | 10:20 AM

OTTAWA — A government bill banning the use of replacement workers in federally regulated workplaces is putting a spotlight on the federal Conservatives, who have yet to state their position in a debate that pits labour groups against business.

The House of Commons is set to begin debating the recently tabled legislation later today, which would apply to workplaces including transportation hubs and the telecommunications sector.

Labour leaders have long called for the measure, as have the federal New Democrats, who used their supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals to expand the proposal to cover strikes in addition to lockouts.

The Bloc Québécois is challenging the Liberals to scrap a clause in the bill that stipulates the law take effect after an 18-month waiting period, a delay that Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan says was requested by two agencies involved in ending labour disputes.

Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre would not tell reporters this morning whether his MPs will vote for or against the bill, but he criticized the prime minister for allowing “foreign replacement workers” to help build a government-subsidized battery plant in Windsor, Ont.

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The NextStar EV battery factory expects to employ hundreds of people from South Korea, and Immigration Minister Marc Miller has said that businesspeople from that country can work in Canada as governed by a free-trade deal. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2023. 

The Canadian Press