Latest News

Harper’s Anti-Union Bill Rises From the Dead

April 24, 2015

Bill C-377 is unnecessary, unfair and unconstitutional, but Harper’s attack on the labour movement is still breathing.

By Tim Harper, Toronto Star

OTTAWA—Stephen Harper’s notorious, proposed anti-union legislation is still floundering in its fourth year, unloved, unnecessary, unfair and largely unconstitutional.

But not dead.

Bill C-377, first introducied by British Columbia Conservative backbencher Russ Hiebertin December 2011, has been revived by a Senate committee and there was Hiebert this week, again staking his clam to some type of Conservative medal as the man who has most doggedly pursued his boss’s agenda.

Hiebert is still flogging what must be considered the most fundamentally flawed piece of legislation to come from this majority government, a punitive assault on labour unions which would tip the collective bargaining process in the country to the employer, violate privacy and freedom of association rights of union leaders and tie up unions up with unnecessary, trivial, insulting paper work.

In short, it is just the type of confrontational piece of legislation Harper would like passed before an election.

It is a solution in search of a problem, but those “big labour bosses” the Conservative caucus loves to rail against provide just too much of an inviting target.

There was the tenacious backbencher back at it, wrapping his legislation in gauzy talk about transparency and accountability and “empowering (Canadians) to gauge the effectiveness, financial integrity and health of Canadian unions.”

Or, as Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff, calls it, “an unwarranted, unconstitutional, venal and indefensible bill that is inherently flawed and must be withdrawn.”

This legislation has already once collapsed in the Senate.

Former Conservative senator Hugh Segal led the rebellion, leading his colleagues in amending a bill he called “badly drafted, flawed, unconstitutional and technically incompetent.’’

The law, as proposed, would require unions to publicly disclose any spending of $5,000 or more and any salary of more than $100,000. All documentation would be supplied to the Canada Revenue Agency and then to the public on searchable website. It would include the addresses of the union officials.

Complete article in the Toronto Star

Join our newsletter

Recent news

10 people standing with elbows up in the air.

Women of Steel and strength with Amanda Slack

March 31, 2025 | News Articles

March is a moment to celebrate International Women’s Day and women’s work in their union communities. This month, we’re proud to highlight Amanda Slack, a passionate union activist, USW District 6 Women of Steel Committee member and Vice-Chair of Sub-Local 1-500 at USW. She currently works at Hartmann Canada. Amanda started her union journey as […]

Read More
Click to read the article about Women of Steel and strength with Amanda Slack
Image for Strike ends at Comfort Inn Baie-Comeau

Strike ends at Comfort Inn Baie-Comeau

March 28, 2025 | Media Releases

Baie-Comeau, March 28, 2025 – Standing tall and smiling broadly, the twenty or so female workers at Comfort Inn Baie-Comeau unanimously accepted their new employment contract. With yesterday’s 100% vote in favour of ratification, a strike that began on March 22, 2024, i.e., more than a year ago, is now over. Retroactive to August 2023, […]

Read More
Click to read the article about Strike ends at Comfort Inn Baie-Comeau