• N.S. NDP remove party whip following post about France protests

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-21 22:41:28.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, Governance, Labour, Justice]

  The Nova Scotia New Democratic Party removed MLA Paul Wozney from his role as party whip following a social media post in which he called for France-style civil unrest to oppose government legislation. Wozney's comments were made in response to a legal remedy concerning Bill 148, the Public Services Sustainability (2015) Act, which was previously ruled unconstitutional by the Nova Scotia Supreme Court. NDP Leader Claudia Chender condemned the remarks as careless and affirmed that the party unequivocally denounces violence or suggestions of violence in civic life.

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• Proposed remedy for workers affected by Bill 148 could cost N.S. $470 million

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-19 20:15:49.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, Labour, Finance, Justice, Governance]

  The Nova Scotia government has agreed to pay an estimated $470 million in compensation to roughly 81,000 public sector employees following a court ruling on Bill 148. Introduced in December 2015 by the former Liberal government and enacted in 2017, the legislation imposed four-year wage restrictions and eliminated long-term service awards. In February, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Ann Smith ruled that Bill 148 infringed upon public servants' Charter rights, ordering a legal remedy. Nova Scotia Minister of Finance John Lohr stated that the $470 million settlement cost is reflected in the 2025–26 provincial budget, though Justice Smith must still give final sign-off on the proposed remedy.

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• RCMP union raises concerns Liberals' proposed financial crime agency will hurt Mounties

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-08 19:30:22.0
  Tags: [National, Public Safety, Justice, Labour, Finance]

  Rob Farrer, president of the National Police Federation representing approximately 20,000 RCMP members, testified before a parliamentary committee regarding Bill C-29, which proposes the establishment of a dedicated Financial Crimes Agency (FCA). Farrer expressed concern that the new agency—intended to tackle money laundering and online fraud by operating as a separate police organization with its own commissioner—will siphon off 150 experienced RCMP personnel and worsen existing recruitment, retention, and under-resourcing issues within the national police force. The union urged that any funding for the FCA should be entirely new rather than reallocated from the RCMP, and that assigned Mounties must be backed by qualified replacements with a clear transition plan to protect ongoing investigations and accountability structures.

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• Carney says Labour Code change will 'protect' right to strike. Experts say it still spells legal trouble

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-09-23 17:02:26.0
  Tags: [National, Labour, Governance, Justice]

  The federal Liberal government introduced Bill C-39, an omnibus legislative package containing proposed amendments to Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, which empowers the minister to order striking workers back to work and mandate binding arbitration in federally regulated industries such as airlines, banks, ports, and railways. Under the proposed changes, the labour minister must declare that a strike adversely affects the national interest and consider a report from a new special mediator before intervening. Prime Minister Mark Carney defended the legislation as a guardrail that protects the constitutional right to strike, whereas labour groups including the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)—which represents Air Canada flight attendants involved in previous Section 107 disputes—argue the provisions violate Charter-protected freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, setting the stage for ongoing constitutional challenges.

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• Denying EI to women laid off after maternity leave a Charter violation: Court of Appeal

  Source: Global News Politics
  Date: 2026-09-04 20:06:59.0
  Tags: [National, Quebec, Labour, Justice, Social Services]

  The Federal Court of Appeal ruled in favour of six Quebec women, represented by the advocacy group Mouvement Action Chômage, finding that denying employment insurance (EI) benefits to women laid off shortly before, during, or after maternity leave violates Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The court determined that withholding benefits and limiting the ability to stack EI with maternal or parental benefits constitutes sex-based discrimination under the law, which disproportionately impacts women. The three-judge panel struck down the discriminatory provisions of the Employment Insurance Act but suspended the declaration for 12 months, giving the federal government one year to rewrite the legislation.

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