Chantel Goldsmith, employment lawyer, on anti-replacement worker laws

A proposed anti-scab bill is being discussed as part of a recent supply agreement with the federal government. The law proposes that replacement workers should be banned if federally-regulated unionized workers are in the midst of a strike.

Chantel Goldsmith, a Toronto employment lawyer and Partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP spoke with the Canadian Press on the ramifications for workers as well as employers.

Goldsmith explains that this legislation would ensure a lot of leverage for unions in a collective bargaining agreement but could pose problems for employers. “If the employer knows that they can’t have a replacement worker, then their hands are almost tied in that they have to kind of agree with the union’s demands,” said Goldsmith.