Federal Government Consultation on Strengthening its Labour Relations Framework

BCBC’s submission makes the case that labour disruptions in federally regulated industries are a national economic risk. The Prime Minister's ambition to double non-US exports and to turn Canada into an energy superpower and the strongest economy in the G7 cannot be achieved without a labour relations framework that delivers reliability. Canada's reputation as a reliable trading partner depends on the predictable operation of the supply chains that connect Canadian producers to global markets.

The submission identifies three changes that would strengthen the federal labour relations framework: a B.C.-wide geographic certification for longshoring, a special mediator process for federally regulated industries, and an explicit statutory authority for alternative dispute resolution in critical trade-enabling sectors. These three changes work at different stages of collective bargaining and address different gaps in the current framework. A final section addresses several additional matters raised in the consultation.