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October 19th, 2022

NDP forces Liberals to begin steps to implement anti-scab legislation

NDP Labour Critic, Alexandre Boulerice, issued the following statement:

“Today’s announcement is an important first step to give workers the power to fight for their rights and the best work conditions possible. We used our power this Parliament to force the Liberals to finally move towards implementing anti-scab legislation that will allow workers to fight for better wages, especially as they face a rising cost of living crisis.

During labour disputes, the use of scab replacement workers undermines workers’ ability to negotiate fairly. Scabs prolong strikes and lockouts and give the employer little incentive to reach a fair deal for workers.

For years, New Democrats have tried to ban replacement workers for good, but Conservatives and Liberals stopped us every time. In 2016, Liberals and Conservatives teamed up and voted against the NDP’s most recent anti- scab legislation. This did not stop us to keep fighting for workers and their families.

And we will keep fighting to ensure the Liberals introduce and adopt an anti-scab legislation that bans replacement workers during strikes, not just lockouts. The legislation must also tackle the problem of virtual replacement workers.

No one should ever stand in the way of workers fighting for their livelihoods.

Workers can always count on the NDP to have their backs.”