Liberals defeat bid to facilitate forming unions

New Democrat bill would have returned right of card certification to workers in all sectors May 02, 2008 04:30 AM Robert Benzie Queen's Park Bureau Chief The Liberals have crushed an NDP bid to roll back a key labour measure that former Progressive Conservative premier Mike Harris introduced to limit unionization. Bolstered by the Tories, the governing party yesterday voted 55-11 against NDP Leader Howard Hampton's private member's bill that would have returned the right of card certification to all workers as it existed in Ontario from 1950-1996. Under card certification, a workplace can be unionized without a ratification vote when more than 55 per cent of workers sign cards. Labour Minister Brad Duguid – one of nine cabinet members, including anti-poverty minister Deb Matthews, called to the House for the vote – defended the government's action. "What the NDP were bringing forward today was an attempt to swing labour relations in this province to the far left. That's what they did when they were in power (from 1990-95) and it didn't work," said Duguid. "When Mike Harris was in power he swung the pendulum for labour relations to the far right. We brought it back to the middle where it belongs," he said. Indeed, the Liberals do allow unions to be certified just through the signing of cards for construction trades, but rejected the NDP's move to extend that to hospitality, agricultural and other workers. Employees in those sectors have been subject to intimidation by their bosses because they have to go through more arduous votes to unionize. "The construction industry is unique. It is very difficult to organize in the construction industry and we recognize that," said Duguid, denying the Liberals favour those workers because their unions are big contributors to the party. Hampton accused Liberal MPPs of giving "Mike Harris anti-worker, anti-labour speeches" to urge defeat of his bill. "Card-based certification is the law in Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick," said the NDP leader, noting yesterday, May Day, was International Workers' Day. "It is fair and balanced. You indicate your democratic choice by signing a card, just as I might indicate my choice by signing a cheque or some other document," he said. "The McGuinty Liberals don't care about women workers who cannot have card-based certification and who work in some of the most vulnerable circumstances. I don't think they care particularly about new Canadians ... or young workers." Only Liberal MPP Kim Craitor (Niagara Falls) sided with the New Democrats. Ontario Federation of Labour President Wayne Samuelson expressed disappointment given that the Liberals have promised to make fighting poverty a priority.