Unions bracing as Liberals to table major economic and labour bill

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsCanadaCanadian Politics Unions bracing as Liberals to table major economic and labour bill Carney and his cabinet have teased many consequential changes in the bill including to the Canada Labour Code Author of the article: By Christopher Nardi Published Sep 21, 2026 2 minute read Join the conversation Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives at the West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. PHOTO BY HYUNGCHEOL PARK /Postmedia Article content OTTAWA — Labour unions across Canada are bracing as the Liberal government gets set to table a major review of the Canada Labour Code as part of a major legislation that will further review how project proposals are reviewed and approved. Article content The government will table Bill C-38 on Monday afternoon, which it bills as “an Act respecting certain measures to strengthen the economy.” Article content Article content Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet have teased many consequential changes in the bill including to the Canada Labour Code. The government has previously signalled that it wanted to see changes to labour laws overseeing federally-regulated industries after a series of impactful strikes at airlines and ports. Article content EXCLUSIVE NEWSLETTER Political Hack Political Hack gets at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill. Wednesdays and Fridays. Subscribe Now See all of our newsletters Article content Speaking to reporters alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Carney described the upcoming bill as “the most consequential economic legislation certainly of this parliamentary session, arguably over the course of the next few years.” Article content As a sign of how sweeping the bill may be, three ministers (Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon and Labour Minister Patty Hajdu) are scheduled to present the bill after it is tabled in Parliament on Monday afternoon. Article content But the bill is met with much skepticism from major labour unions, who fear that the government will look to restrict workers’ abilities to strike. Article content “The government has repeatedly said it will protect the right to strike. We welcome that commitment. Today, we expect to see what it means in practice,” said Canadian Labour Congress head Bea Bruske in a…