Unifor Québec members, supported by a large delegation of Unifor members from Ontario, gathered in Montréal on November 29 as part of a major inter-union rally that brought together more than 50,000 people to denounce the attacks by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) on union rights and democracy, notably through Bill 3.
Bill 3, introduced by the CAQ government, seeks to directly interfere in the internal operations of unions by imposing new, costly administrative and financial requirements. Beyond the financial burden, the bill gives the state an unprecedented level of oversight into how unions are managed, how they allocate their resources and how they organize their activities. It forces unions to dedicate time and energy to red tape instead of defending members, undermines internal union democracy by second-guessing decisions made by elected leadership, and opens the door to political interference in the life of workers’ organizations. In practice, Bill 3 diverts millions of dollars in union dues to accounting firms, weakens unions’ independence and seeks to restrict their ability to organize and intervene in the public arena.
“The CAQ is waging a full-scale offensive against unions, public services and democratic counter-powers,” said Daniel Cloutier, Unifor Québec Director. “With Bill 3, the government is trying to directly interfere in how unions operate. Québec is a unionized society that won its rights through solidarity and collective struggles. What we are defending today is not just a contract or a single law: it is the very idea that workers have the right to organize, to challenge and to fully participate in democratic life.”
For Unifor, the fight underway in Québec goes far beyond the province’s borders.
“The CAQ’s assault is an attack on the strongest democratic force working people have. Let me be clear: if any government thinks it can dismantle trade union rights and silence workers, they will have to come through us,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Unifor stands ready to defend our trade union rights, our members, and our union from this egregious Bill.”
The broad inter-union front that took to the streets of Montréal shows that, beyond affiliations, Québec’s labour movement is united in defending freedom of association, union autonomy and the right of workers’ organizations to determine their own structures and operations.
Unifor thanks everyone who took part in the inter-union rally, as well as the members who travelled long distances to be there. The union reaffirms its determination to fight Bill 3 and all of the CAQ’s measures that restrict union action and weaken democracy in Québec and across the country.