Canada Labour Laws Tested by Bank of Canada Strike

NDP Leader Avi Lewis claims the federal government is violating its own labour laws by allowing the Bank of Canada to use replacement workers during a months-long strike. This strike is the first test of the legislation passed in 2024, which banned federally regulated workplaces from hiring replacements during a legal strike.

The law took effect last year, and Lewis says this is the government's chance to prove its commitment to labour rights. Security officers at the Bank of Canada went on strike in June after talks failed to secure a new collective agreement between the central bank and the union.

In July, Tiff Macklem, governor of the Bank of Canada, said that some exceptions allow for the use of replacement workers when necessary to prevent threats to life, health or safety, or to prevent serious damage to property. The Canada Industrial Relations Board has already released two decisions indicating the central bank contravened the Canada Labour Code by using contractors and union members during the strike.