The Senate resolved into a Committee of the Whole in order to study the subject matter of Bill C-39, An Act respecting certain measures to strengthen the economy.

Senator K. Wells: My question is for Minister Hajdu. Previously, when you introduced Bill C-39, you stated, “As workplaces continue to evolve, our labour laws must keep pace to ensure . . . workplaces remain fair and safe. . . .” You also said that building a stronger Canada for all requires a strong, modern labour framework. I think we all resolutely agree with those statements.

The National Employment Equity Council held a forum two weeks ago with the theme of modernizing Canada’s labour framework, which — as you indicated — is the promise of Bill C-39.

Minister, if this bill is the government’s approach to modernizing Canada’s labour framework, why were the recommendations from the 2023 Employment Equity Act Review Task Force not included in this bill? Additionally, are you open to possible amendments that would include those recommendations?

Ms. Hajdu: Thank you very much, senator.

I will just say two things. One, this bill is very focused on supply chain disruption, so the proposed changes to the Canada Labour Code in this bill are related to one of the challenges around predictable supply chains, which, as I said, in those very specific sectors and very specific cases, has to do with repeat conflicts between employers and their workers. It is meant to provide the additional supports necessary to help those parties improve their relationships, thereby arriving at collective agreements together and ending the cycle of repeated conflicts, requests for government intervention, government interventions and the continued fraying, if you will, of those relationships that are critical to all of the work that my colleagues have spoken about.

In terms of the employment equity piece, there is important work to do. I look forward to working with all interested parliamentarians on the next steps to modernize the Employment Equity Act. Certainly, it is something that we believe is critically important. Many of the investments we make in skills training are very specifically focused on people who are under-represented in the labour market, including people who are racialized, young people, people with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and women in specific sectors. We will continue that work together with parliamentarians.

Senator K. Wells: Thank you.

My follow-up question is related to the last part you mentioned. More specifically, can you talk about how the Government of Canada will ensure that Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+, Black and racialized workers, as well as those with disabilities, will fairly share in the jobs that are coming from these projects and the overall promised prosperity that the Government of Canada is stating will come with the legislative changes included in Bill C-39?

Ms. Hajdu: Thank you. That is an excellent question and one that many people, both on the employer’s side and on the workers’ side, have been grappling with.

There are no easy solutions, but the investments the federal government has been making, in particular around under-represented groups in the trades, are starting to pay off.