Acceso usuarios
Alison Braley Rattai
This article focuses upon labour-relations policy in the federal jurisdiction, under Harper, and, to a more limited extent, under Trudeau. My enquiry is guided by the following: What was Harper's approach to labour-relations; what, if anything, has Trudeau done to resist the institutionalization of Harper's approach; and, was Harper's approach, in fact, new? The Harper Governments relationship with organized labour was inarguably contentious. Whatever one thinks of the changes the Harper Government made to labour-relations policy, these changes negated the tripartite principle which underpins our labour-relations system, by ignoring the input of important stakeholders. Moreover, these changes appeared driven by a worldview that saw no role for organized labour. Despite this, we should be cautious about thinking that Harper's approach to labour-relations was vastly out of keeping with the changes that governments ofallstripes have made in this policy area over the past thirty years.
Justin Trudeau pledged to fix governmental relations with public sector unions. To that end, Trudeau has already taken steps to repeal most of Harper's labour-relations statutes. However, it does not appear that Trudeau intends to introduce anything more substantive to champion the cause of labour
