Make your voice heard: Write to your Member of Parliament
We are asking SIU Canada members to contact their local Member of Parliament (MP) and urge them to oppose Bill C-39. We have prepared an email template to help you take action.
Visit www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en and enter your home postal code to find the MP who represents your community.
Open your MP’s profile and look for their contact information.
Copy the template into a new email. Replace the placeholders with your MP’s name and your own information. Include your name, city or town and postal code so their office can identify you as a constituent.
Use the subject line: Oppose Bill C-39: Protect workers’ rights and Canadian seafarers. Check that you have replaced all placeholders, then send it directly to your MP. The email template you can use can be found below.
Subject: Oppose Bill C-39: Protect workers’ rights and Canadian seafarers
Dear [MP’s Name],
As a constituent and a member of the Seafarers’ International Union of Canada (SIU), I am asking you to oppose Bill C-39, the so-called Building Canada Strong Act.
This bill threatens both my rights as a worker and my livelihood as a Canadian seafarer. It would make it easier for the federal government to shut down lawful strikes and allow foreign-flagged vessels to take work from Canadian seafarers in Canadian waters.
Bill C-39 would allow the Minister of Labour to direct the Canada Industrial Relations Board to use Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to order workers back to work, extend an expired collective agreement or impose binding arbitration whenever a strike or lockout is deemed to affect, or potentially affect, the “national interest”.
The right to strike is essential to fair collective bargaining. Workers strike when negotiations have broken down and withholding our labour is the only power we have left. If employers know the government will intervene once a strike becomes disruptive, they have less reason to negotiate fairly.
Canadian seafarers help keep this country moving. The importance of our work should be a reason to treat us fairly, not an excuse to strip us of our rights.
Bill C-39 would also allow foreign vessels to engage in coasting trade without a licence when responding to an emergency declared by the federal government, a province or a territory, without first establishing that no suitable Canadian vessel is available.
This creates a pathway for foreign vessels and foreign crews to take work that should be performed by Canadian seafarers. Building a stronger, more self-reliant Canada means investing in Canadian vessels, Canadian workers and domestic capacity.
As my Member of Parliament, I ask you to oppose Bill C-39 and defend the right to strike and Canadian cabotage. You cannot stand up for Canadian workers while supporting legislation that undermines our rights and livelihoods.
Sincerely,
[Full Name]
[City/Town, Province]
[Postal Code]
Member, Seafarers’ International Union of Canada
