Quebec tables bill to limit strikes; union says it's a 'declaration of war'

The Quebec government has tabled a new bill to limit the duration of strikes and lockouts, which unions say amounts to a 'declaration of war.'

The Quebec government has tabled a new bill to limit the duration of strikes and lockouts.

Tabled today by Labour Minister Jean Boulet, the bill aims to protect services required to maintain “social, economic and environmental security,” especially of vulnerable people.

Boulet says his bill would cover sectors that aren’t already subject to the province’s essential services act, which regulates labour relations in areas such as health care and the civil service.

The new bill would allow the government to refer labour disputes to Quebec’s administrative labour tribunal, which could then oblige the parties to reach an agreement to maintain certain services.

It would also give the labour minister the power to appoint an arbitrator who could put an end to labour disruptions the minister deems to be causing “serious or irreparable harm” to the population. But the public sector is excluded from that provision.

The legislation follows several lengthy labour disputes in recent years, including a teacher strike that closed 800 Quebec public schools for 22 days starting in November 2023.

Quebec unions were quick to criticize the new bill, with one calling it “a declaration of war on workers.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2025.