The federal government is preparing to rush through legislation in the event that dock workers at the Port of Montreal go ahead with a planned strike on Monday morning.
A notice paper published on Sunday indicates that Labour Minister Filomena Tassi could, as early as Wednesday, table a bill aimed at ending the labour dispute.
The contents of the bill have not been made public, and it is not clear if it will resemble conventional back-to-work legislation.
The notice paper gives the government the option of tabling legislation quickly and bypassing several of the usual legislative steps.
"Putting forward this notice is our government's least-favoured option. We believe in the collective bargaining process," Tassi said in a string of tweets on Sunday.
"However, the government must act when all other efforts have been exhausted and a work stoppage is causing significant economic harm to Canadians."
The strike is slated to begin at 7 a.m. on Monday, according to a notice provided last week by the union. A mediation session is scheduled to begin two hours later.
The prospect of another strike at the port — only seven months after the previous one — has alarmed businesses and politicians alike.
A work stoppage that lasted 19 days in August snarled supply chains across Eastern Canada. Some shipments were rerouted to other ports, while others had to wait weeks for the backlog to be cleared in Montreal.
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Source: CBC
BDP International will continue to monitor the situation with the Port of Montreal and keep our customers apprised of any additional developments. In the meantime, should you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your local BDP representative.
