When could PSAC strike end? How Ottawa has dealt with past job actions

Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members be on strike?That question is being asked of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, which has the power to table back-to-work legislation, as federal public servants strike for the second day Thursday.The Liberals, who have a minority government, have sidestepped those questions, and opposition parties are facing queries as well on whether they would support such a bill.NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Wednesday his party, which is backing the Liberals on key items through a supply-and-confidence agreement, would not support back-to-work legislation.The Conservatives were non-committal on supporting such legislation, with the party’s Treasury Board critic MP Stephanie Kusie saying Wednesday the “incompetence” of the Trudeau government is what’s caused the strike.Though both parties say they want to see the two sides reach a deal, it’s unclear how long the strike will go on, and how it will end.

The government and union units have been negotiating for two years.Throughout, Trudeau’s government has worked with unions and labour groups on various priorities, including a plan to introduce anti-scab legislation by year’s end to ban the use of replacement workers during a strike or lockout.However, Trudeau, who said Wednesday it’s important “to respect labour rights,” has introduced back-to-work legislation before.Here are some examples of how his governments have dealt with strikes and the threat of job action in the past.The Trudeau government was under pressure in March 2022 to introduce back-to-work legislation in what ended up being a brief strike between CP Rail and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.Roughly 3,000 CP Rail conductors, engineers and train and yard.