Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday his government is considering its options to respond to Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s use of the clause.
He made the brief comment in French outside the House of Commons, moments after NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called for more action from the federal government.
“We are seeing right now a clear attack on workers, vulnerable workers and workers’ rights … There has to be a response,” Singh told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are open to whatever solution is put on the table and evaluate whether or not it will work and whether it will help workers’ rights.”
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The union representing 55,000 affected education workers in Ontario says it still plans to strike Friday, despite impending legislation that would fine strikers.
The Liberals criticized the Ford government this week, with Trudeau previously describing the legislation as a complete “mistake”.
Justice Minister David Lametty did not bite a question earlier Wednesday about what options might be on the table.
“I’m not going to discuss options here,” he said ahead of a meeting of the Liberal caucus, although there are “a number of different things one can do”.
Lametti said the pre-emptive use of the clause was “very serious” and “undemocratic”.
“It strengthens Canadian democracy,” he said.  “It means the Map doesn’t exist.”
An NDP MP, Matthew Green, is calling on the House to hold an emergency debate on the issue.
In a letter to the Speaker of the House, Green said the proposed legislation to impose a new contract on education workers undermines their rights and imposes “disproportionate punitive measures” on those seeking to take action.
Green said using the override clause to circumvent the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is part of a “disturbing trend” of provinces seeking to encroach on constitutional freedoms.
“This particular case could set a precedent for provincial governments across the country who may seek to use this to further undermine workers’ collective bargaining rights,” he told reporters.
Green was also expected to table a motion on Wednesday afternoon calling on MPs to unanimously condemn the move.
Trudeau and others called on the federal Conservatives to respond, but MPs on their way to a Conservative caucus meeting Wednesday morning declined to comment.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the workers, submitted a counteroffer late Tuesday night in response to the mandated contract terms in the legislation, but has yet to provide details on the proposal.
Ontario’s education minister suggested there won’t be much movement at the bargaining table this week and insisted any new offer from the union must include calling off the strike.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 2, 2022.