Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Labour minister says too early for back-to-work legislation in CP Rail work stoppage

Share

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan says he is choosing to be optimistic as negotiations continue between CP Rail and union representatives.

“They’re moving this along,†O'Regan told Â鶹´«Ã½â€™ Power Play on Monday. “They’re plugging away at it. Nobody’s left the table.â€

A CP Rail work stoppage began early Sunday and is affecting more than 3,000 conductors, engineers and yard workers. Both the company and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union are blaming each other for the stoppage, which threatens to push a wide range of prices up at a time when inflation is already at a three-decade high in Canada.

Despite the potential economic fallout, O'Regan says it is too early to consider tabling back-to-work legislation.

“I wouldn’t raise back-to-work legislation very flippantly because, you know, in effect what that means is you’re taking away the rights of workers,†the Newfoundland Member of Parliament said. “The courts basically say, look, you’ve got to show that there are immediate consequences, that there are prolonged consequences, that it goes against the national interest, and that the parties aren’t at the table doing what they need to do to get a deal. That is not the case here—they haven’t left the table.â€

O'Regan spoke to Â鶹´«Ã½ from Calgary, where CP Rail and union representatives are meeting. Negotiations for a new contract began in September. The union says the main sticking points have been wages, pensions and work conditions.

“I am here in Calgary basically to remind them as well, I think, of the best interest of Canadians, which is we want a deal now—this cannot be prolonged,†O'Regan said. “We’ve a saying in Newfoundland, ‘My nerves are rubbed raw.’ And I think considering everything that Canadians have been through over the past couple of years, their nerves are rubbed raw. This is not the time.â€

Watch the extended Power Play interview with O’Regan above or here.

With files from the Canadian Press

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

BREAKING

BREAKING

The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected