IAM Union Defends Workers’ Right to Strike During Bill C-39 Committee Hearing
David Chartrand, Canadian General Vice-President of IAM Union, appeared before a House of Commons committee on October 20, 2026, to present the union’s position on Bill C-39 and raise concerns about its potential impact on workers’ right to strike.
The committee was chaired by James Maloney (Liberal), with members Parm Bains, Caroline Desrochers, Emma Harrison, Mike Kelloway, Tim Louis and Danielle Martin (Liberals); Dan Albas, Jacques Gourde, Philip Lawrence and Branden Leslie (Conservatives); and Gabriel Ste-Marie (Bloc Québécois).
Chartrand warned that the bill would formalize the federal government’s ability to intervene in labour disputes, potentially forcing workers back on the job and referring disputes to binding arbitration. He stressed that the threat of a strike is essential to ensuring employers negotiate in good faith and that giving the government greater power to end work stoppages could weaken workers’ bargaining power.
Speaking on behalf of IAM Union, Chartrand also highlighted the union’s support for important measures in the bill, including successor rights for airport and air transportation contract workers, first-contract arbitration, and stronger enforcement against bad-faith bargaining, wage theft and worker misclassification.
The committee also heard from labour leaders, including Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC); Mark Hancock, National President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE); Tom Doran, President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada; and Tim Perry, President of ALPA Canada.
However, Chartrand emphasized that these improvements should not come at the expense of fundamental labour rights. IAM Union called on the committee to limit the use of Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, ensure independent mediation, protect unions’ role in geographic certification, and preserve measures that strengthen workers’ protections.
“‘Building Canada Strong’ must also mean strong collective agreements and strong protections for the people who do the work. A stronger and more independent Canada has to be built with workers, not at the expense of rights that generations of Canadians fought to establish,” said Chartrand.
IAM Union will continue to stand up for workers’ right to strike, fair collective bargaining and strong protections for working people across Canada.
