Labour Minister Lisa Raitt speaks to reporters after a Conservative caucus meeting June 15, 2011, on Parliament Hill.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The Harper government is moving ahead with back-to-work legislation to end the Canada Post strike.
Conservatives served notice Wednesday that they intend to introduce a bill ending the 12-day labour disruption at Canada's state mail carrie
Commons rules require the federal government to give 48 hours notice of a new bill. It would be designed to end the current Canada Post lockout of unionized workers and mandate an arbitrated settlement to the dispute.
Notice of the bill effectively serves as a warning to Canada Post and its union to try one last time to strike a deal. The Crown corporation and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are free to draw up a negotiated settlement before the legislation becomes law.
It could take Ottawa until next week to pass into law legislation that ends the Canada Post dispute.
Parliament is currently scheduled to sit as late as June 23 before a summer break - but legislation to end the Air Canada dispute and the Canada Post dispute could require an extension of the Commons calendar.
Canada Post locked out all its unionized workers Tuesday evening, following 12 days of rotating strikes that moved from region to region.
Labour Minister Lisa Raitt announced her intentions in the Commons Wednesday.
"Canada Post and the union have been unable to reach a negotiated settlement, which is a great disappointment for us because of the effect it has on Canadians and on the Canadian economy," she said. "As a result, [Wednesday night]we will be putting on notice legislation to restore mail delivery service for Canadians."
Ms. Raitt left the impression she felt she had no other options.
"We have two parties at the table who have been trying to negotiate a collective agreement for a very long period of time. They are unable to reach that agreement by themselves, even though they have had ample opportunity to do so and much support from this government and from Labour Canada in terms of having to reach an agreement."
Canada Post said this week it had racked up roughly $100-million in losses since the labour disruption began nearly two weeks ago.
In announcing the lockout Tuesday, the Crown corporation said it would cease operations in urban centres, but did not say whether rural mail delivery would continue.
If the Tories proceed with legislation to end the Canada Post dispute, it would be the second back-to-work bill they've threatened to pass to end a labour dispute.
The NDP will oppose the back-to-work legislation at Air Canada, and is criticizing Canada Post for quickly going to a lock-out.
Speaking after a caucus meeting, NDP Leader Jack Layton said that it's not up to workers at Air Canada to pay the price for the millions of dollars in bonus packages that have gone to the bosses at Air Canada.
"The working folk who make that airline run took huge cutbacks to keep it afloat, and then we have the CEO walking away with millions and now wanting to take away the pensions they were counting on for their retirement," Mr. Layton told reporters. "It's the wrong approach, and the government is backing the wrong side."
Mr. Layton blamed the Harper government for the situation at Canada Post.
"It's very disturbing to see a government shut down our postal service," Mr. Layton said. "At least they're standing by while their Crown corporation does that. We think that's wrong."
The NDP said the union's "rotating expressions of discontent" didn't shut down the service, and that there is no need for legislation on that front.
"These things should be resolved at the bargaining table," Mr. Layton said.
With a report from Daniel Leblanc
Steven Chase