{
  "id": 9162789,
  "title": "No ‘blanket answer’ on when Ottawa would end strikes under proposed changes: Hajdu",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/no-blanket-answer-on-when-ottawa-would-end-strikes-under-proposed",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-22T14:47:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CityNews",
    "slug": "citynews",
    "url": "https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/09/22/no-blanket-answer-on-when-ottawa-would-end-strikes-under-proposed-changes-hajdu/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "OTTAWA — Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu has stated she cannot provide a definitive timeline on when the government would step in to end a strike or lockout under the new labour legislation introduced on Monday. The proposed Building Canada Strong Act requires a work stoppage to impact the \"national interest\" before Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code can be invoked to halt a labour disruption. Currently, the existing mechanism allows a minister to refer two deadlocked parties to the Canada Industrial Relations Board to declare an impasse, end the work stoppage, and move towards binding arbitration. Hajdu emphasized the high bar for establishing national interest and highlighted that each strike and industry is unique, making it difficult to offer a blanket answer. The federal government has previously utilized Section 107 to resolve walkouts at Canada Post, CN and CPKC railways, and B.C. and Montreal ports. Notably, Air Canada flight attendants resisted an attempt to invoke this measure during their 2025 strike. The Canadian Labour Congress contends that the proposed alterations to Section 107 would diminish workers' bargaining power and plans to address the government's proposals in a press conference on Tuesday. While Hajdu acknowledged that strikes might still occur under the new legislation, she noted that the economic pressure of a work stoppage escalates quickly in sectors like transportation, which could jeopardize perishable goods. The government plans to assess each strike on an individual basis. Additional changes to the labour code include the appointment of a special mediator to draft a report on both sides' positions in an impasse and a requirement for pre-emptive relationship repair with the federal mediation service in cases of prior animosity between unions and employers. Hajdu believes these measures aim to decrease work stoppages by enhancing transparency and reducing \"bad blood\" between parties, ultimately encouraging both employers and unions to focus on reaching a deal.",
  "summary": "OTTAWA — The federal jobs minister says she can't give a \"blanket answer\" on when the federal government would move to end a strike or lockout under the new labour legislation tabled Monday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}