OTTAWA — Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is challenging the federal Liberals to do away with a clause in their bill banning replacement workers that would cause the law to take effect after an 18-month waiting period.

The party says in a statement today that it is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to remove that time frame from the bill that Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan tabled last week. 

The legislation proposes to ban the use of replacement workers during lockouts or strikes in federally regulated workplaces, such as airports, ports and the telecommunications sector.

The Liberals initially promised to bar employers from using such workers during lockouts, and they expanded the policy to cover strikes as part of a supply-and-confidence agreement with the NDP.

The Bloc, which has the third-highest number of seats in the minority Parliament after the official Opposition Conservatives, say the Liberals should work to pass the legislation before the holidays. 

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said his party is still reviewing the legislation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2023. 

The Canadian Press