CPKC eyes Mexico & labour reform

Speaking at Morgan Stanley’s 14th annual Laguna investment conference in September, Canadian Pacific Kansas City president & CEO Keith Creel said the railroad welcomes a move by the Canadian Federal government to reform the labour negotiation system.

The Federal Government has introduced “Bill C-39 | Building Canada Strong Act”, legislation that makes important changes to the Canada Labour Code. It sets out a new process that requires bargaining to begin six months before collective agreements expire and extends a conciliation period where talks continue with the help of a federally-appointed conciliator to 90 days.

Most contentiously, Bill C-39 establishes a “clearer and more transparent framework” for the use of section 107 of the code, which empowers the Minister of Labour to order a union back to work and send a dispute to arbitration if, after following the mediation process and considering the mediators report, the Minister has “formed the opinion that a strike or lockout would have a significant adverse national impact.”

The bill is clearly aimed at changing the highly adversarial nature of labour relations in Canada’s federally regulated sectors, including ports and transport.

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