Business groups continued to call on the federal government to take action in the wake of the recently resolved British Columbia port workers dispute on Saturday , arguing Ottawa must ensure such a disruption never happens again.
“This dispute caused serious disruption to our supply chains, risking our strong international reputation as a reliable trading partner. We do not want to be back here again,” said O’Regan, adding, “We will have more to say on this soon.”The Liberal government has been under intense pressure to settle the port dispute for weeks, said Savage.
Kelly said the situation shows an urgent need to rethink Canadian labour laws so that the broader economy and Canada’s international reputation are considered in the cases of strikes and lockouts in critical areas. Eidlin said throughout the B.C. ports dispute, he was struck by what he described as an an ongoing pattern in Canadian labour relations that sees calls for back-to-work legislation floated as a default response in some quarters.