Bank of Canada stands by replacement workers after rulings
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- Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem defended the central bank's use of replacement workers in a letter to the Canadian Labour Congress, saying the bank complied with both Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) rulings within prescribed time periods
- The Canada Industrial Relations Board ruled twice that the Bank of Canada contravened the Canada Labour Code — first for using contractors from Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations, then for using contractors from Garda Canada Security Corporation and services of union members
- Security officers — 42 at the Bank of Canada's Ottawa office and 7 at its Montreal office — went on strike in June after talks failed to secure a new collective agreement, with the Public Service Alliance of Canada saying the bank locked out Montreal members
- A Bank of Canada spokesperson confirmed the bank has ceased using replacement workers or services of bargaining unit members during the strike, complying with the CIRB's second decision
- Federal legislation passed in 2024 banned federally regulated workplaces from bringing in replacement workers during a legal strike, with the new rules taking effect last year
- Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske called the bank's 'repeated disregard for the board's orders unacceptable' and urged the federal government to make clear that no federally regulated employer is above the law
- Macklem cited exceptions allowing replacement workers when necessary to prevent threats to life, health, safety, or serious property damage, arguing the bank's situation fit those circumstances
Why it matters: A Crown corporation that sets monetary policy for the country has been found twice by the CIRB to have violated a labour law passed specifically to protect strike rights — directly undermining Parliament's 2024 anti-replacement-worker legislation. With 49 workers still on strike, the Canadian Labour Congress is now pressing the federal government to enforce compliance, testing whether the new ban has real teeth against federally regulated employers or exists as symbolism only.
