Poilievre Calls On Trudeau to Fire Labour Minister as BC Port Strike Persists

International Longshore and Warehouse Union workers wave at cars driving past while picketing outside of the BC Maritime Employers Association Dispatch Centre after a 72-hour strike notice and no agreement made at the bargaining table, in Vancouver on July 1, 2023. The Canadian Press/Ethan Cairns

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fire federal labour minister Seamus O'Regan, alleging that he has mishandled the B.C. port strike that has been going on and off since July 1.

In a July 30 letter, Mr. Poilievre demands that Mr. Trudeau “end the strike, fire your incompetent Labour Minister.”

Mr. Poilievre said that the B.C. port strike, a labour dispute between workers with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association, has continued despite two brief interruptions, with no end in sight.

The first strike went for 13 days straight and seemed to be resolved with a deal worked out by federal mediators, but the union leadership rejected the deal and called for a return to picket lines.

A full membership vote rejected the latest offer.

“This strike has prevented over 7000 workers from doing their jobs at the port and could result in layoffs in many other workplaces,” Mr. Poilievre said in his letter. “It has blocked $800 million a day in shipping and caused $250 million a week in damage to our economy.”

According to Mr. Poilievre, the strike will cause a backlog that could lead to “higher prices and empty grocery shelves,” while Canadians are already struggling to buy food and dealing with rising costs due to inflation.

He said that ports are a federal responsibility and the workers at the port are federally regulated.

According to Mr. Poilievre, there had been warning of a strike since November 2022, when the union first filed a notice of intention to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement given the existing contract’s expiry of March 31, 2023.

He criticized the labour minister for failing to resolve the strike, which affects more than 30 ports in B.C., noting that the Montreal Port strike in 2021 was resolved in less than five days.

Mr. O'Regan did not return requests for comment by press time, but in a statement released July 29, the labour minister said he has directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to review and potentially end the port labour dispute, follwoing the latest rejection of a tentative deal by the union.

The minister said the board must “either impose a new collective agreement on the parties or impose final binding arbitration” if it determines a negotiated resolution is no longer possible.

“Our economy cannot face further disruption from this dispute,” Mr. O'Regan’s statement said. “Following the Incident Response Group meeting with the Prime Minister on July 19, the government is prepared for all options and eventualities.”

‘Logistical Nightmare’

The CIRB previously ruled that the workers’ second return to picket lines on July 18 was illegal without sufficient notice.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith issued a statement noting the disruption was a “logistical nightmare” for Western Canada’s economy and called for all federal parties to “immediately return to Ottawa and pass back-to-work legislation.”

Various organizations have also called for an immediate end to the strike, even if it has to be legislated, including the Business Council of Canada, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade (GVBOT).

“The failure to ratify a mediated deal will harm workers and businesses from many sectors across Canada whose employment and income might be impacted, as well as all Canadian families who face rising prices,” said Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada. “Enough is enough.”

GVBOT president and CEO Bridgitte Anderson said the economic fallout of another strike stemming from the dispute is too great to allow.

“An agreed-upon deal has now been rejected twice by the union,” Ms. Anderson said. “It is time for the federal government and opposition parties to intervene to ensure that our ports stay open, and we can avoid needlessly stoking inflation and affecting other union and non-union jobs.”

The BC Maritime Employers Association said in a statement that the strike is leaving Canadians, businesses, and the entire supply chain “in a perilous state that has cost billions and will further hurt affordability and increase costs for Canadians.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.