The Committee Membership  4

Order of Reference  6

Acronyms  7

Executive Summary  9

List of Recommendations  10

Introduction  12

Background  12

Overview of Recent Labour Disputes  13

Portrait of the Marine and Rail Sectors in Canada  16

The Impacts of Labour Disputes on Supply Chains  20

Canada's Reputation as a Reliable Trading Partner  25

The Right to Strike  28

Collective Bargaining and Interventions  31

Part I of the Canada Labour Code  31

Interventions by the Canada Industrial Relations Board and the Government of Canada  35

Section 87.4: Its Scope and Interpretation by the Canada Industrial Relations Board  35

Expertise and Delays  36

Section 107: Comments by Witnesses on Its Use  37

Modernizing the Collective Bargaining Process  40

Maintenance of Activities  42

Economic Harm  42

The Activities to Be Maintained  44

Preventing a Work Stoppage  45

Industrial Inquiry Commission on West Coast Ports  45

U.S. Model  48

Imposition of Binding Arbitration  49

Mandating a Return to Work  51

Conclusion  53

Appendix A – Witnesses  54

Appendix B – Briefs and Other Documents  57