NDP seeking to scrap labour code section that lets Ottawa shut down strikes
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OTTAWA – NDP MP and labour critic Alexandre Boulerice said Tuesday his party plans to table a private member’s bill this fall to scrap a section of the Canada Labour Code that lets the government shut down strikes.
Boulerice told a press conference that the Liberals and Conservatives have abused Section 107, which allows a minister to order binding arbitration and end work stoppages.
Last month, just hours after Air Canada flight attendants hit the picket line, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu invoked Section 107 to order binding arbitration and get workers back on the job.
Flight attendants ignored the order and remained on strike until a deal was reached days later.
Boulerice said the NDP contacted the House of Commons last week to start work on the private member’s bill, adding that it should be tabled quickly because “it’s not really complicated.”
The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents some 10,000 flight attendants, overwhelmingly rejected the company’s last wage offer in a vote on Sept. 6.
Hugh Pouliot, a spokesperson for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said in a media statement the union has asked to bypass mediation and move straight to arbitration “given the unlikelihood of an offer that would be acceptable to our members.”
“The union spent nine months bargaining in good faith with the company on wages and saw no evidence that an additional three days of mediation will yield an acceptable result,” Pouliot said.
“The union is therefore seeking an expedited process that will put money in our members’ pockets and conclude this process as quickly as possible.”
The union has said the cabin crew members it represents are not being paid fairly and are not properly compensated for time they must spend on the job when planes are not in the air. It said flight attendants work for free about 35 hours on average each month.
Air Canada has said it offered improvements to wages, pensions and benefits, and a new contract component that recognizes ground time.
The federal government has launched a probe into allegations of unpaid work in Canada’s airline sector. Hajdu said Monday that it should wrap up by early December.
Dozens of flight attendants represented by CUPE rallied on Parliament Hill on Tuesday. Union members wore red shirts and held signs with messages like “unpaid work won’t fly” and “we are not just a number.”
CUPE national president Mark Hancock told The Canadian Press he supports the NDP’s move to kill Section 107.
“But as far as I’m concerned, if they use 107 on any CUPE locals, we’ll make sure that they know that we’re not going to abide by that in the future,” he said.
— With files from Kyle Duggan
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2025.