The federal Conservative cabinet minister responsible for getting legislation through Parliament is predicting that back-to-work legislation could get post offices open as early as next week.
Peter Van Loan, leader of the government in the House of Commons, gave notice June 21 that the government will impose closure to cut off debate on legislation aimed at ending a Canada Post lockout of its 48,000 urban employees that has stopped mail service since June 15.
He later told reporters that the debate on the controversial legislation could end in the Commons by Friday and be dealt with by the Senate next week, even though Parliament was scheduled to rise for the summer June 23.
“I’m hopeful we can finish it off if not Thursday perhaps on Friday,” said Van Loan. “Then it has to be dealt with by the Senate so that could mean postal service as early as next week.”
The opposition NDP is fighting the legislation because it says the bill sides with the corporation and undermines collective bargaining.
It would lead to an arbitrator with a mandate to accept final offers from both Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and then pick one or the other rather than forging a compromise.
The legislation would impose the resulting decision as a four-year contract and limit wage increases to less than Canada Post already has offered.
Labour minister Lisa Raitt has said that the legislation is meant to encourage both sides to settle without the imposed solution.
Opposition MPs say the bill is so weighted to management that Canada Post has no incentive to make more concessions.
“With this bill, the government is imposing wages that are lower than the management was prepared to offer these workers who deliver out mail,” opposition leader Jack Layton said in the Commons June 21. “Is the prime minister signaling to workers that if they do not accept the first offer that is given by management that the Conservatives will simply come and legislate something worse?”
Prime minister Stephen Harper replied that the wage rates that would be imposed are at the same level as accepted by other public sector unions “and that is a fair settlement for Canada Post workers as well.”
