Thank you.
My name is Tom Doran. I'm the president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada. We represent thousands of longshore workers on Canada's west coast.
I'm here to talk about the people who work on the docks, keep this economy moving and will be affected by this bill. ILWU members keep Canada's economy moving and growing by loading and unloading ships and handling cargo at our ports 24 hours a day, year-round, in all conditions. Our skilled work keeps goods flowing in and out of this country. Our members may be among the first affected by these new restrictions on our right to bargain freely and fairly, and the consequences will reach far beyond the waterfront.
These changes to the Labour Code confirm a clear path for government intervention. They give employers a reason to hold out and a road map for getting the government to end a strike. Why? It's because they have received a clear signal from government that it will step in when things get difficult and stop workers from exercising their right to strike. This weakens the incentive for employers to negotiate better wages or protect jobs from AI, automation and outsourcing.
Automation is changing the waterfront. How it is introduced has to be negotiated between workers and employers, not imposed upon us. We have families that have worked on our docks for generations, and bargaining is how we protect the work that will be left for future generations. When the government steps in, employers get to automate on their own terms and questions about the future of work on our waterfront and across the economy are left unresolved. The impact starts long before a strike. Once employers know the government will intervene, they will have no reason to bargain, and workers will lose the only leverage they have to protect their jobs.
Ottawa has an obligation to protect free and fair collective bargaining and not tip the scales in the favour of the corporate elite in this country. Our message to Parliament is clear. This bill effectively dismantles our members' constitutionally protected right to strike.
Ports matter to the economy because of the people who keep them moving. The importance of our work cannot justify stripping away our rights. Lasting labour peace comes from fair, negotiated agreements.
I respectfully ask this committee, and Parliament as a whole, to repeal section 107, remove the new strike restrictions and let collective bargaining work for workers.
I also want to address clause 307 of this bill, which would allow two or more employers or the minister to ask the CIRB to impose geographic certification on our individual bargaining units. Workers could be forced into a bargaining structure they did not choose. All of our longshore locals and ILWU Local 514 have loudly rejected being forced into such a structure. It undermines our charter right to freedom of association.
If members of this committee are looking for more predictability, you will not find it here. Imposing a structure on a strained relationship freezes the dysfunction in place and will almost certainly produce longer and more bitter disputes. Workers and their unions value our existing voluntary bargaining structure. There is no evidence that a forced geographic certification on the west coast will improve bargaining outcomes.
We urge this committee to examine this legislation carefully and critically, because the consequences are serious. This government said it wants to build the economy with workers and put them at the centre of it. We agree with that goal. We are asking you to hold this bill to that standard. Canadians heard those commitments, and they expect you to keep them.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.