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March 6th, 2023

Liberals delay anti-scab legislation while hiring a contractor locking out their workers

OTTAWA — On Monday, NDP critic for Labour Alexandre Boulerice called out the Liberal government for delaying anti-scab legislation while awarding government contracts to an advertising company, Cossette Media, currently locking out their workers and hiring scab workers to replace unionized workers during a labour dispute.

“The Liberals are showing their true colours when it comes to workers’ rights — they would rather side with the big bosses than the workers fighting for better conditions and wages,” said Boulerice. “The Liberals are prolonging the labour dispute by giving millions of dollars to the advertising agent Cossette Media that has been locking out their workers represented by the ACTRA union.

The Liberals, once again, have turned their backs on workers.”

Scabs prolong strikes and lockouts and gives the employer little incentive to reach a fair deal for their workers. Last October, the NDP introduced an anti-scab bill carrying their vision for the government to prohibit the use of replacement workers in labour disputes — for good. Until this day, the Liberals have yet to make a move and adopt the bill to protect workers from greedy employers who only care about lining their pockets. The NDP plans to force the legislation through this year.

“The Liberals are contributing to the prolongation of this labour dispute that is hurting workers,” added Boulerice. “The repercussions of the Liberals' actions are severe: they’re causing financial stress for workers and their families and hurting people’s careers. The Liberals must end their advertising contracts with Cossette Media until a fair agreement is reached for their workers. The Liberals must also stop delaying the implementation of anti-scab legislation to stop big bosses from violating workers’ rights to fair bargaining.

New Democrats will always stand up for workers.”