‘The Canada Labour Code doesn't consider the damages a work stoppage can cause to small businesses and the economy’
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling on the federal government to prioritise supply chain stability in any reforms to the Canada Labour Code (CLC).
In a statement issued just as Ottawa concluded consultations on potential changes to the Code, the CFIB urged the government to reduce compliance burdens on small businesses and modernise federal labour rules it says have long been tilted toward large unions.
The federation argued that small employers bear the heaviest costs of federally regulated work stoppages while having no role in resolving them.
In April, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) issued a consultation document outlining measures that could alter bargaining timelines, create a new mediation tool, strengthen protections against misclassification and wage theft, and modernise occupational health and safety standards.
The CFIB said recent strikes and labour disruptions — including those at CN and CPKC railways, the British Columbia and Montreal ports, and Canada Post — cost small businesses a median of $10,000.
Manufacturers, wholesalers and producers were among those hit hardest.
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