OTTAWA -- For the second time this year, the Canadian Trucking Alliance is launching a campaign aimed at the defeat of proposed legislation to ban replacement workers in federally regulated organizations in the event of a labor stoppage.
Earlier this year, a Bloc Quebecois private member’s bill, C-257, was defeated in the Commons. The bill failed to gain the support of many Liberal MPs -- who held the swing votes -- largely because it did not contain an essential services provision.

The Liberal labour critic then introduced yet another bill (C-415), this one containing a degree of essential services protection. However, this extends only to public health and safety, and does not deal with services essential to the economy, says the CTA. "This is particularly ironic in light of the CN strike earlier this year, when Parliament had to legislate an end to the work stoppage to limit damage to the economy," says the group.

Bill C-415 received first reading before the summer.

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