Gutting Canadians’ Charter rights will not make us stronger against Trump: CUPE

Ottawa — Canada’s largest union, CUPE, says new federal legislation tabled Monday is a direct attack on Canadians’ Charter rights and freedoms, and is calling on the federal government to halt the legislation in its tracks.

“Gutting hard-won rights and protections for Canada’s workers will not help this government deliver certainty – it will do the opposite,” said CUPE National President Mark Hancock. “Let’s be clear: we will not win this trade war or make Canada stronger by stripping away the Charter rights of our own people.”

The legislation introduced today appears to be every item on corporate Canada’s wishlist codified into law, including increased federal powers to short-circuit lawful strike action and longer timelines to allow workers to exercise their labour rights.

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“The Liberals can’t build Team Canada by acting like enforcers for Bay Street and stepping on workers’ rights – workers are Team Canada,” said CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick. “When companies know the government will bail them out, they have no incentive to do the hard work at the bargaining table to get a deal done. We saw that with Air Canada. This bill gives airlines, shipping companies and other major corporations all the advantages over workers.”

“We’ve been here before, and our track record speaks for itself,” said Hancock. “Generations of workers have fought, bled, and even died for the rights the Liberals aim to wipe out with a stroke of a pen. If this is a fight the Liberals want to have, we’ll be all in.”