Canada's labour minister has brought the government's plan to eliminate replacement workers to a union audience in Windsor.
Federal Labour Minister and Minister of Seniors Seamus O'Regan helped preside over a town hall meeting at the Unifor Local 444/200 Hall Tuesday afternoon.
Joined by Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk and Local 444 President Dave Cassidy, O'Regan answered questions about local labour issues and touted the recently tabled amendment to the Canada Labour Code and the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations Act of 2012, which would bar companies from hiring replacement workers, or so-called "scabs", during strikes or lockouts.
The minority Liberal government introduced the bill as part of its confidence-and-supply deal with the NDP. O'Regan, who sponsored the bill, said the Liberals had a good plan going in ahead of meetings with the NDP.
"When we sat down with the NDP, we elevated it and negotiated what it would look like, and finally introduced it to the House," said O'Regan. "It was a big deal. Labour leadership from all over the country came in for it."
The soft-spoken O'Regan said that for the first time in years, Canadian workers hold a lot of power, and this legislation provides additional protection when it comes to labour disputes.
"The hope is to really force people to take the tables seriously," said O'Regan. "There's no getting around it. Deal with it. Your workers are sitting there making demands. Ninety-six per cent of the time, it never reaches a dispute."
Several union members in attendance questioned O'Regan about the legislation, along with issues such as any discrepancies in labour-related issues with the Progressive Conservative Ontario government. O'Regan said he had a good working relationship with provincial labour minister David Piccini, and Piccini's predecessor, Monte McNaughton.
O'Regan also used the town hall meeting to address the turnaround in labour in Windsor-Essex. Earlier in the day, he stopped to visit the under-construction electric vehicle battery plant and had planned to see the Gordie Howe International Bridge site.
Bill C-58, as the bill is called, currently awaits second reading in the House of Commons.
