By Josée-Anne Spirito, PSAC North Regional Executive Vice-President
Everyone knows that fair negotiations require a level playing field, with give and take from both sides.
Collective bargaining is no exception.
After all, why would an employer put forward their best offer when they know you can’t push back?
Workers in the North understand how important it is to stand together for fair wages, safer workplaces and respect for our work. With the cost of living rising, being able to negotiate fair contracts is more important than ever.
That’s why we need to pay attention to the federal government’s Bill C-39, the ‘Building Canada Strong Act.’ Its proposed changes to the Canada Labour Code would entrench government interference in labour disputes, undermining workers’ ability to negotiate fair contracts.
Right now, the federal labour minister has broad authority under Section 107 of the code to interfere in labour disputes, which the government has used to end work stoppages and impose binding dispute resolution. Workers have been fighting to get rid of this, but Bill C-39 would normalize the mechanism and give the minister explicit power to terminate strikes if, in their opinion, the strike could adversely affect the national interest.
All of this could happen without having to face Parliament or speak with workers, yet the government presents it as greater transparency and accountability.
Bill C-39 would affect many workers in all three territories, including about 4,700 PSAC members in 81 bargaining units covered by the code. In the NWT, this includes all PSAC/UNW members, except those working for the GNWT or the NWT Power Corporation, who bargain under separate legislation. These are people who maintain our communities, support our neighbours and deliver services Northern families rely on. They could lose their ability to ever exercise their right to strike.
No matter which labour laws we work under, we all have a reason to protect collective bargaining rights. Governments and employers have long relied on tactics designed to undermine collective action, weakening workers’ voices and unnecessarily prolonging conflicts. Even before a strike begins, if an employer expects government intervention, it can affect what happens at the bargaining table.
Sometimes the mere possibility of a strike motivates employers to negotiate seriously, helping workers reach agreements without ever having to walk a picket line. But limiting the right to strike precisely where workers’ leverage is strongest gives employers zero incentive to improve their offer.
In other words, what’s the point of having the right to strike if you can’t use it?
Workers don’t take job action lightly. In fact, most negotiations — about 95 per cent — are concluded without a strike, so we know this process works when both parties are committed to reaching a deal.
But sometimes collective action is required to get the staff, resources and working conditions needed to keep our communities running. We might follow every rule, spend months at the table in good faith and make the tough call to strike, only to have our power to push for change taken away.
The way the government is advancing these changes is also concerning. Bill C-39 bundles workers’ bargaining rights into a sweeping 243-page omnibus bill alongside changes to major project approvals, environmental assessments and transportation rules. It is being pushed through Parliament at a rapid pace, already through the committee phase after being introduced in late September.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says he wants a stronger country, but taking away our bargaining rights only makes us weaker.
Workers know that such a blatant attack on our rights cannot stand. I encourage Northerners to advocate to our members of Parliament and demand that they defend fair bargaining, oppose the provisions of Bill C-39 that entrench interference and support repealing Section 107.
This column appeared in the Yellowknifer on November 12, 2026.