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Poilievre says he needs to study replacement workers bill before taking position

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he doesn’t yet have a position on the Liberal government’s proposed legislation to ban the use of replacement workers during strikes and lockouts in most federally regulated workplaces.

The bill was tabled last week and will apply to federally regulated industries such as banking, airports and telecommunications, but not to the federal public service or workplaces that are regulated by a province or territory.

Poilievre says today he first needs to study “what’s written down on paper,” before deciding how he and his party will vote.

The Liberals promised in the 2021 election to ban the use of replacement workers in the event of a lockout, but Bill C-58 expands it to include strikes, as agreed to in the confidence-and-supply deal with the NDP.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is celebrating the bill as a victory for his party, which has long advocated for the provision along with union leaders.

Both the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Federation of Business warn the legislation could prolong labour disputes and removes an incentive for labour unions to remain at the negotiating table.