Human Resources Committee on Nov. 20th, 2025

[John Zerucelli, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have been very direct in answering the honourable member's questions.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Give me a break.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Seeback and Mr. Secretary.

I now give the floor to Mr. Joseph for five minutes.

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm not going to cut off the witnesses.

I want to go back a bit.

There were labour disputes in 2011 at Air Canada and Canada Post. Everyone around this table remembers that Mr. Harper then passed legislation that forced workers back to work. Unlike the legislation that Mr. Harper passed, invoking section 107 of the Canada Labour Code allows the minister to set up arbitration, so that the union and the workers can find an agreement that is dignified, in compliance with the Canada Labour Code. It's a completely different approach from what we saw in 2011.

Mr. Secretary of State, can you explain in more detail the difference between the use of section 107 of the Canada Labour Code and Mr. Harper's behaviour in 2011?

[Sandra Hassan]

May I answer the question?

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Yes, go ahead, Ms. Hassan.

[Sandra Hassan]

As a tool for getting people back to work, a bill can be introduced in the House of Commons that may contain a certain number of provisions explaining what will happen after it comes into force.

Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code is a general provision that can be used and provides that “[t]he Minister…may do such things as to the Minister seem likely to maintain or secure industrial peace and to promote conditions favourable to the settlement of industrial disputes or differences”.

In one case, it involves a bill; in the other, it involves general provisions found in the Canada Labour Code.

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Harper's bill was deemed unconstitutional at the time. Can you explain why that was the case?

[Sandra Hassan]

I don't have that ruling in front of me, so I can't comment on the issue and tell you why the bill had been declared unconstitutional. I'm sorry.

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Okay.

My next question is for the secretary of state.

We know that a number of programs have been put in place by the government. For instance, I'm thinking of the Canadian apprenticeship strategy and the union training and innovation program.

How is the government ensuring consistency among the 13 provincial and territorial authorities to address the shortage of skilled labour?

[John Zerucelli, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Let me answer the first part of that question, and then I'll let Colette answer the second part.

Every part of our budget is about putting workers first. We doubled the union training and innovation program so that more people can enter and complete skilled trades apprenticeships, which is essential as we tackle our housing challenges and infrastructure needs. Through the build communities strong fund, we're ensuring public dollars support Canadian materials and union labour, and with workforce alliances and the workforce innovation fund, we're aligning training programs with real labour market needs.

I also would like to highlight that yesterday I was with federal and provincial colleagues working and bringing forward amendments to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.

I'm going to let Ms. Kaminsky address this further.

[Colette Kaminsky]

Thank you.

Secretary Zerucelli attended the committee on internal trade yesterday as co-chair of the forum of labour market ministers, where the labour market ministers came to a national consensus around amending the Canadian Free Trade Agreement that would allow for several changes that will ensure consistency of credentials and administrative procedures and advance the mobility of workers. This includes ensuring that workers have to have a response within 30 business days of their request to move between jurisdictions; that there would be a harmonized number of demands that can be put on workers, limiting the number of administrative requests apprenticeship authorities can request from individual workers; and finally, that there would be transparency for workers and Canadians on the responses to those demands by workers.

The secretary secured that agreement yesterday.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Joseph.

Because we still have some time, we're going to conclude with a two-minute round for each side, beginning with Mr. Reynolds.

[Colin Reynolds, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Recently, we saw Stellantis using foreign labour for the construction of the NextStar battery plant in Windsor, shutting out Canadian tradespeople. Stellantis recently hinted that it is planning to move Canadian jobs in the auto sector down to the United States.

The Liberal government gave it billions of dollars of taxpayer money and Canadian market access. What we got in return were jobs for other countries. What is this government doing to protect Canadian tradespeople to make sure this doesn't happen again?

[John Zerucelli, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

The Stellantis situation is unacceptable. I know the Minister of Industry has written Stellantis and has commenced legal proceedings against it.

Let me be clear. I've been travelling the country. I've met with forestry workers. I've met with workers in the auto industry. My message has been clear and direct to them. We will be there for them and their families. That is why in the budget we provided $570 million to provide training supports—

[Colin Reynolds, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Excuse me. This is my time.

What are we doing to protect Canadian jobs?

[John Zerucelli, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Thank you very much. I was just about to answer the question before you cut me off.

Budget 2025 provides the largest infrastructure investment in Canadian history. This is the budget you guys voted against. This investment will be building roads, bridges and hospitals.

[Colin Reynolds, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

How many jobs?

[John Zerucelli, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

These are projects in the national interest. This is how we're going to build Canada up, and that will create thousands of jobs in the skilled trades.

I ask my honourable friend the question: Is my honourable friend for the Darlington nuclear project that will create 18,000 jobs in construction and 37,000 jobs annually?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Reynolds.

Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

Next, we go to Ms. Fancy for two minutes.

[Jessica Fancy-Landry, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Through the chair, Secretary, I'd love for you to discuss something that is near and dear to my heart in terms of personal support workers. I have quite a few elderly people in my family who really benefit from the hard work of our CCAs, our personal support workers and our care workers.

I'm wondering if you could elaborate a bit and discuss the $1,100 tax credit that is available through the budget for those workers.

[John Zerucelli, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

This is something very personal to me because when my father passed away, personal support workers fed him and bathed him when my brother and I couldn't. My brother is a police officer and he can't take time off the job. Personal support workers were there for my dad when my brother and I couldn't be.

I have a number of personal support workers in my riding. These are largely women, single women and single mothers, who take the bus to work every day. The only thing they care about is taking care of our elderly. They deserve more. This budget gives them $1,100 in a tax credit. This is really significant for them and something that I'm enormously proud that we have done.

I wish we could do more at this time, but we need to do more for the people who take care of our elderly. I'm enormously proud of the work that Prime Minister Carney and, frankly, you all have done to bring this forward.

[Jessica Fancy-Landry, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Thank you very much for joining us today.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Ms. Fancy.

Mrs. Gill for two minutes.