麻豆影视

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.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e moving this along,鈥 O'Regan told 麻豆影视鈥 Power Play on Monday. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e plugging away at it. Nobody鈥檚 left the table.鈥

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.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 raise back-to-work legislation very flippantly because, you know, in effect what that means is you鈥檙e taking away the rights of workers,鈥 the Newfoundland Member of Parliament said. 鈥淭he courts basically say, look, you鈥檝e 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鈥檛 at the table doing what they need to do to get a deal. That is not the case here鈥攖hey haven鈥檛 left the table.鈥

O'Regan spoke to 麻豆影视 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.

鈥淚 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鈥攖his cannot be prolonged,鈥 O'Regan said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e a saying in Newfoundland, 鈥楳y nerves are rubbed raw.鈥 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.鈥

Watch the extended Power Play interview with O鈥橰egan above or here.

With files from the Canadian Press

IN DEPTH

Opinion

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

A team of tornado experts is heading to Fergus, Ont. after a storm ripped through the area Sunday night.

Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people

Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.

Stay Connected