Longshoremen on strike in Vancouver have a deal, but then go back to strike. Can the Liberals get the NDP on board? And will the Tories get behind the idea of back-to-work legislation?
00:00:00.000We're going to turn it to the West Coast here. So the longshoremen working the BC ports on strike. Tremendous economic cost to this. They had, I guess, kind of union solidarity stuff where shipments diverted to the states. The longshoremen there would not unload it. So this was just blocking trade to and from the West Coast of Canada. Hugely disruptive.
00:00:24.700They come to a deal. Strike is over. And yesterday evening, it's back on. Union rejects the deal and immediately goes back to strike. Federal Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan says it's an illegal strike because they didn't give enough notice. Now, they have given notice now, but they've already been out there doing it. Parliament's being recalled. I'm supposed to meet with an MP soon.
00:00:50.580It can't really happen now because they're all heading back to Ottawa.
00:00:57.860I guess we'll talk. It's obvious how disruptive it is. Maybe we'll talk more about the politics of it.
00:01:03.480This is going to really put, I think, some strain on the Liberals quasi-coalition agreement with the NDP. Union dock workers in British Columbia. I mean, if the NDP can't get those guys on side, they're done.
00:01:23.040You know, that's supposed to be bread and butter. Those kind of voters actually kind of go between Conservative and NDP, kind of skip the Liberal in the middle there.
00:01:29.320But the NDP have been adamantly opposed to any back-to-work legislation.
00:01:34.360This could take a few potential forms. But part of them is coming back. That probably means back-to-work legislation.
00:01:44.360And the Union gave Ottawa, especially the Liberals, which, you know, are keenly aware of the politics around this, gave them the excuse by engaging in what they've described, characterized as an illegal strike, wildcat strike.
00:01:56.620If we get back-to-work legislation, do you think, we'll start with you, Corey, are the Liberals going to be able to kind of square it in a way that they can get the NDP to support them?
00:02:07.520Or is this going to be a one-time deal where they actually have to cut a deal with the Conservatives?
00:02:12.540Well, I think in this case, the Conservatives would support back-to-work legislation so the NDP can vote on principle against it.
00:02:19.260But it still weakens seeing every time he yaps on the sidelines saying, I'm going to hold Trudeau accountable to this and to this and to this, when he's been the linchpin of that government for quite some time now.
00:02:31.460He can't keep rolling over for the Liberals. I mean, this would be actually a voting against circumstance, but it won't be a confidence thing and it'll pass.
00:02:39.900But his own base of support's got to be getting tired of this.
00:02:43.760I mean, at what point are you actually going to be the Democratic Socialists who claim you are and say, that's enough.
00:02:49.880We have to start voting against this government. So it'll put a lot of pressure on us.
00:02:54.240Nigel, if you're Justin Trudeau, how are you trying to sell this to the Conservatives?
00:03:01.600Because they're the official opposition, they're leading in the polls, they're the threat to take your job as Prime Minister.
00:03:08.760How are you packaging this in a way that can allow the Conservatives, but both force the Conservatives to support it and allow the Conservatives to claim a win in their own right?
00:03:21.840Because they're always beaten up on Jade Mead Singh as being Tweedledum to Trudeau's Tweedledee.
00:03:28.780Oh no, maybe the other way around. Yeah, he's Tweedledee to Trudeau's Tweedledum.
00:03:32.440They don't like to be seen voting with the Liberals, and it's normal for an official opposition.
00:03:40.120How would you sell this, if you're Trudeau, in a way that gets the Conservatives to feel comfortable voting for back-to-work legislation for the...
00:03:47.280Well, first of all, they're never going to feel comfortable.
00:03:49.240All that they can really do is say that they recognize the enormous economic importance of that port and the trade that goes through it to the Canadian economy,
00:04:02.780and that they're above playing party politics with such a matter of national importance.
00:04:08.420And although Mr. Trudeau is the architect of his own misfortune and deserves to no longer be Prime Minister,
00:04:15.600in order to get the country moving again, I guess we can hold our nose and do this once.