OTTAWA — Back-to-work legislation designed to end a CP Rail strike and get freight moving likely won’t pass in the Senate until Thursday at the earliest, despite its overnight passage in the House of Commons.
MPs voted just before 1:30 a.m. this morning to pass Bill C-39, ordering 4,800 Canadian Pacific engineers and conductors back to work after a week-long strike.
Labour Minister Lisa Raitt said the labour dispute must end quickly because of the toll it’s taking on the economy and the Harper government used its majority to force the legislation through the House of Commons in a single day.
Even before the Senate began sitting today, the Conservative Senate leader was accusing the Liberal minority of obstructing Bill C-39’s passage.
Senator Marjory LeBreton said the Liberal senators were failing to honour a tradition of letting urgent legislation pass in a single day.
But a Liberal source said the party is prepared to give its consent this afternoon to have the legislation examined and passed at the earliest opportunity, which is Thursday.
Raitt has said she wants the trains running again by Thursday, but both the company and the Teamsters union — representing striking workers — say re-starting the vast transportation network will take time.