Alberta MLAs pull 'all-nighter' as spring legislature session wraps

Last Updated: Thursday, June 5, 2008 | 5:52 PM ET

CBC News

The spring session of the Alberta legislature ended early Thursday after politicians sat into the early hours of the morning to pass changes to the province's labour code that unions are calling "payback" for their role in last spring's provincial election.

The changes announced Monday, in the last week of the eight-week session, are the first to be made to the provincial labour code in 20 years. Among other things, the new legislation will ban strikes by ambulance workers, and prevent unions from subsidizing contract bids by unionized contractors competing with non-union firms.

The legislation will also prevent union organizers from joining a non-union company to kick-start the process of unionizing the firm—a practice known as "salting."

Members of the Alberta legislature sat through the night and into Thursday morning to complete the eight-week spring session. (CBC)

"Run the clock down as much as we can and then push it through at the very last minute, " was the way NDP MLA Rachel Notley described the Tory strategy of the past week in the legislature.

The changes to the labour code were only introduced on Monday. The government brought in measures the next day to limit debate on Bill 26.

Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman complained it wasn't even enough time for her to make an informed decision on the changes.

"So my constituents' ability to talk to me about whether they want me to vote for this or against this they're not even going to know the bill was up and it's over."

But Dave Hancock, the government house leader, said the proposals have been talked about for years, and more debate was not the answer.

Bill 26, passed by the Alberta legislature early Thursday morning, would change the province's labour code and abolishes some practices unions have used to organize workplaces. (CBC)

"Don't let anybody suggest to you that this is a new topic or a surprise to anybody," Hancock said Wednesday.

"The premier has made a point of dealing with the difficult issues…early in his term as leader and now [in] his mandate as premier."

For Gill McGowman, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, the bill is all about retribution.

"A lot of people are saying that this labour legislation is being introduced to punish labour unions who dare[d] raise a voice of protest during the last election."

During the campaign for the March provincial election, labour groups funded a $1 million campaign aimed at discrediting the Tories.

That election returned Ed Stelmach's Conservatives with a massive majority taking 72 of the 83 seats.

Earlier in the session, the government announced it will eliminate health care premiums on Jan. 1, 2009, consolidated the province's nine regional health authorities into one 'superboard' and handed the new agency control of all ambulance services in Alberta.