Press release
Bill 89: A useless bill that hides the catastrophic record of François Legault’s government
19 February 2025
Montreal, February 19, 2025 – The Quebec Federation of Labour (QFL) reacts with outrage to the bill introduced by Labour Minister Jean Boulet. By seeking to limit the duration of labor disputes, the bill is clearly an attack on workers’ right to strike, a right protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Constitution. Labour contracts are negotiated and either ratified or rejected by workers; it is not the government’s role to impose a timeline on potential disputes. Moreover, is it necessary to remind everyone that more than 95% of negotiations are resolved through agreements between employers and unions? Where is the urgency?
“It is ironic to read the title of this bill: an Act to give greater consideration to the needs of the population in the event of a strike or lockout. Is this really what will solve Quebec’s real problems—rising living costs, the housing crisis, skyrocketing grocery prices, working families forced to rely on food banks, and looming fee hikes? Come on! This is yet another example of a government completely out of touch, looking for scapegoats to cover up its disastrous track record. All the CAQ government does is invent problems that don’t exist,” says QFL President Magali Picard.
Duplessis Would Be Proud of François Legault’s Government! Undermining workers’ rights was the Union Nationale’s specialty in its time. After handing out cash handouts to get elected, this government is now recycling the worst aspects of the Union Nationale. The CAQ is taking us back to the era of La Grande Noirceur (the Great Darkness). “This is not a vision for society,” declares Magali Picard.
“Invoking the well-being of the population is a deceptive argument. Yes, strikes cause disruptions, but when workers choose this form of pressure, it is to improve their working conditions, public services, and to stop their financial decline. What the minister is really doing is helping employers negotiate lower wages and poorer working conditions. This government is completely disconnected from the people,” adds the president.
Governments already have all the necessary tools to regulate the right to strike. “The essential services Act is crystal clear: essential services are those whose interruption could endanger public health or safety—not those that inconvenience employers. Minister Boulet must withdraw his bill, which violates the right to free bargaining protected by the Canadian Constitution,” concludes the president.
As always, the QFL will participate in parliamentary consultations to defend the rights of Quebec workers.
The QFL, the largest labour federation in Quebec, represents more than 600,000 workers.
Translated into English by SEU 800 from the original French-language press release issued by the QFL.