Don’t dress this up as strengthening Collective Bargaining
September 25, 2026 – Toronto, Canada: The federal government says Bill C-39 will strengthen collective bargaining.
There are provisions in the bill that the IAM and other unions have fought for and that deserve recognition, including proposed successor rights for workers affected by contract retendering, measures addressing wage theft and worker misclassification, increased resources for the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) and additional health and safety enforcement capacity.
The IAM will always support meaningful protections for working people.
The Canadian Labour Congress has similarly said that while the bill contains measures unions have fought for, the proposed restrictions on the right to strike are unacceptable.
The IAM agrees.
But workers cannot be bought off with one hand while their bargaining power is taken away with the other.
“You cannot strengthen workers’ rights by weakening the fundamental tools workers use to defend those rights. The IAM along with the Canadian Labour Congress and other Canadian unions put forward submissions on the removal of 107 earlier this year. Through Bill C-39, the Canadian government has solidified their ability to end strikes and this will have a detrimental impact to free collective bargaining in this country. The IAM is calling on Members of Parliament to carefully examine the labour provisions of Bill C-39 and to ensure that any changes to the Canada Labour Code strengthen — rather than weaken — free collective bargaining.” said David Chartrand, Canadian IAM General Vice-President.
The IAM believes Canada’s federally regulated workers have earned the right to bargain freely and without political interference.
Continued Chartrand – “Workers in aviation, aerospace, rail, transportation and other critical industries make Canada work every day. They should not be expected to sacrifice their fundamental bargaining rights whenever a dispute creates economic pressure.”
Canada’s economic strength depends on its workers.
Building Canada strong must also mean strong collective bargaining agreements and strong protections for working people.
The IAM will continue to fight for those principles and will oppose any measure that undermines workers’ ability to stand together and fight for a fair collective agreement.
