Canada's NDP issued the following press release on November 9, 2023.
OTTAWA – On Thursday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh stood with the President of the Canadian Labour Congress, Bea Bruske, the National Director of the United Steelworkers, Marty Warren, and members of the NDP caucus to announce the newest result New Democrats have delivered for Canadian workers – anti-scab legislation that gives workers more power to demand better wages and working conditions.
“This is an incredible day for workers. For years, New Democrats have tried to ban replacement workers for good, but the corporate Conservatives and the establishment Liberals stopped us every time. For decades they have allowed CEOs to ignore workers’ rights by using replacement workers,” said Singh. “This bill would not have happened without us and the work of the Labour leaders standing with me today. Together, we’re going to deliver workers the respect, better wages and working conditions they deserve. Left to their own devices, Liberals would have included massive loopholes benefiting the bosses during labour disputes.
While you can count on the Liberals and Conservatives to back CEOs, you can count on the NDP to always have workers’ back."
The NDP has introduced anti-scab bills eight times in the past 15 years. The last time an NDP MP brought anti-scab legislation to a vote in 2016, Liberals and Conservatives teamed up to defeat the attempt to make things better for workers.
New Democrats never gave up and now they’ve forced the government to move forward with legislation that gives workers a better chance at a fairer deal while they’re fighting for better work conditions.
“Workers have had enough of governments who stack the deck against them. While CEOs and bosses are getting record compensation, workers’ wages aren’t rising as the same rate as those at the very top. It’s wrong and we’ll never stop fighting to give them the respect and better wages they deserve,” said Singh. “We’ve been clear where we stand. But what will Pierre Poilievre do? If he doesn’t support this bill, he’ll prove what New Democrats have been saying all along: he’s just another Conservative who stands with big bosses and votes again and again against banning replacement workers.
New Democrats will never stop fighting for you.”