Since 2024, the federal labour minister has reached for Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code eight times to order workers back on the job. Seven emergency interventions in two years. That's not a labour relations system working. That's a system that has run out of off-ramps.
ICBA filed our submission to the federal government's Canada Labour Code consultation this week.
Construction isn't federally regulated. But the steel, the glazing, the elevators, the HVAC — nearly all of it lands at the Port of Vancouver or Prince Rupert. When the ports stop, our members' projects stop. In a 16-month stretch in 2023–24, West Coast shutdowns cost 24 days and disrupted $19.2 billion in cargo. When we surveyed members, 62% reported supply chain trouble. Of those, 79% had projects delayed and 56% raised prices. Somebody pays for that: the family buying a home, the taxpayer funding a school.
The fix Ottawa should move on first is geographic certification at the West Coast ports — the central recommendation of its own Industrial Inquiry Commission. The BCMEA–ILWU agreement expires March 31, 2027. Bargaining begins this fall. CN and CPKC are right behind.
Build the framework now, or use Section 107 a ninth time.
Read our submission HERE.