Canadian members of Parliament passed early Saturday morning legislation that could see Canada Post workers back on the job early next week.
The vote saw 166 MPs vote in favour of the legislation and 43 against it — including some members of the government caucus such as Stephen Fuhr, who reports suggested would oppose the bill.
Bill C-89, the “Postal Services Resumption and Continuation Act,” now goes to the Senate, which will debate it starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning.
The vote marked an end to a marathon session of Parliament that began with MPs voting for a motion that would see an expedited process bring the bill to fruition, and it carried on until about 1 a.m. ET.
NDP MPs voted against the initial motion as a caucus, and some of them subsequently left the House of Commons in protest of it. Certain members raised a fist as they departed.
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MPs who left the House later returned for the final vote that passed the legislation.
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Once passed, the bill went to second reading, then committee of the whole, then to third reading and was passed.
The bill “provides for the resumption and continuation of postal services and imposes a mediation process to resolve matters remaining in dispute between the parties.”
Canada Post workers have been on strike for weeks.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has reached an impasse with Canada Post.
Employees want better job security. They also want to stop forced overtime along with improved health and safety measures.
WATCH: The bill passed the House of Commons during a special session early Saturday morning by a vote of 166 to 43.
Bill C-89 directs Canada Post to resume postal services “without delay,” and states that every employee must “resume without delay… the duties of their employment.”
The legislation also gives both Canada Post and CUPW two days to come up with up with the names of up to three people to act as a mediator-arbitrator between the parties, after it passes.
Once appointed, the mediator-arbitrator will then have the job of mediating all matters referred by the parties.
Should the parties prove unable to come to an agreement, then the mediator-arbitrator has been directed to arbitrate the matter and come up with a decision.
The mediator-arbitrator has also been directed to ask both Canada Post and the CUPW to submit their final offers — one of which will be chosen.
The mediator-arbitrator’s decision will then be reported to the minister of labour.
- With files from Katie Dangerfield
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