Quebec labour minister wants power to intervene in Montreal transit strike

The Quebec government wants the power to intervene in a strike that has disrupted public transit in Montreal since the start of November.

Labour Minister Jean Boulet will table a bill on Wednesday that would bring into force a new law giving the government broad power to end labour disputes.

The information was first reported by Le Journal de Québec and was confirmed to The Canadian Press by a government source not authorized to speak publicly.

The new labour law was supposed to take effect on Nov. 30, but the bill expected Wednesday would accelerate its implementation.

The law gives the labour minister the power to end a dispute that is deemed harmful to the public, and expands the services that must be maintained during a strike.

A union representing the Montreal transit agency’s 2,400 maintenance workers began a strike on the evening of Oct. 31, which is limiting bus and subway service in the city to peak hours and late evenings until Nov. 28

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