Date: 20200611 Docket: CI 17-01-08926 (Winnipeg Centre) Indexed as: Manitoba Federation of Labour et al v. The Government of Manitoba Cited as: 2020 MBQB 92 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 2 ISSUES ........................................................................................................................ 4 LEGISLATION ............................................................................................................. 5 BACKGROUND OF THE LEGISLATION ........................................................................ 9 THE EVIDENCE .......................................................................................................... 12 UNIONS ..................................................................................................................... 13 Manitoba Federation of Labour ............................................................................. 13 The University of Manitoba Faculty Association ....................................................... 19 Manitoba Government Employees Union ................................................................ 26 Canadian Union of Public Employees ..................................................................... 43 The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada, Local 63 ...................................................................... 50 Manitoba Association of Healthcare Professions ...................................................... 52 International Union of Operating Engineers Local 987 ............................................. 53 Public Service Alliance of Canada .......................................................................... 55 United Food and Commercial Workers Canada Local 832 ......................................... 57 Brandon University Faculty Association .................................................................. 59 Manitoba Teachers’ Society .................................................................................. 60 Other Unions ....................................................................................................... 62 EXPERT EVIDENCE IN THE AREA OF LABOUR RELATIONS ..................................... 65 Plaintiffs’ Expert – Dr. Robert Hebdon ................................................................... 65 Defendant’s Expert – Dr. Richard Chaykowski ........................................................ 74 SECTION ONE ISSUE ................................................................................................ 83 Testimony – Richard Groen .................................................................................. 83 Testimony – Garry Steski ...................................................................................... 89 Testimony – Aurel Tess ........................................................................................ 90 Testimony of Plaintiffs’ Section 1 Expert - Dr. Eugene Beaulieu ................................ 94 Testimony of Defendant’s Section 1 Expert - Dr. Livio Di Matteo ............................ 102 CASE LAW ............................................................................................................... 108 Health Services and Support - Facilitators Subsector Bargaining Assn. v. British Columbia, 2007 SCC 27, [2007] 2 SCR 391 ......................................... 108 Mounted Police Association of Ontario v. Canada (Attorney General), 2015 SCC 1, [2015] 1 SCR 3 .............................. 111 Meredith v. Canada (Attorney General), 2015 SCC 2, [2015] 1 SCR 125 ......... 114 Gordon v. Canada (Attorney General), 2016 ONCA 625 .................................. 116 2 The Federal Government Dockyard Trades and Labour Council v. Canada (Attorney General), 2016 BCCA 156 ................................................ 118 Canada (Procureur general) v. Syndicat canadien de al function publique, section locale 675, 2016 QCCA 163 .......................................................... 120 Canada (Attorney General) v. Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 675, 2016 QCCA 163 ............... 122 Alberta Union of Provincial Employees v. Alberta, 2014 ABQB 97 ................. 123 Alberta Union of Provincial Employees v. Alberta, 2019 ABCA 577 ................ 124 Mikisew Cree First Nation v. Canada (Governor General in Council), 2018 SCC 40 .................................. 125 British Columbia Teachers’ Federation v. British Columbia, 2015 BCCA 184 . 128 Saskatchewan Federation of Labour v. Saskatchewan, 2015 SCC 4 ............. 130 Ontario Public Service Employees Union v. Ontario, 2016 ONSC 2197 .......... 132 The Attorney General of Canada v. The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, 2019 QCCA 979 .................... 133 The Manitoba Federation of Labour et al v. The Government of Manitoba, 2018 MBQB 125 ............................................ 134 Ontario (Attorney General) v. Fraser, 2011 SCC 20 ........................................ 135 POSITION OF THE PARTIES ................................................................................... 136 The Plaintiffs’ Position ........................................................................................ 136 The Defendant’s Position .................................................................................... 137 ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................... 138 The Status of the PSSA – “The Elephant in the Room” ......................................... 138 The Duty to Pre-Legislative Consultation .............................................................. 145 Pre-Legislative Collective Bargaining .................................................................... 156 Section 2(d) of the Charter – Constitutionality of the PSSA ................................. 156 The Importance of the Matter Affected ..................................................... 157 The Impact of the Process Meaningful Collective Bargaining ....................... 159 International Law .................................................................................... 174 Conclusion – s. 2(d) Constitutionality ........................................................ 177 SECTION 1 .............................................................................................................. 183 Is the PSSA justifiable under s. 1 of the Charter?............................................... 183 Pressing and Substantial Objective ........................................................... 185 Rational Connection ................................................................................ 199 Minimal Impairment ................................................................................ 204 Final Balancing ........................................................................................ 217 Conclusion – Section 1 ............................................................................. 220 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 220 APPENDIX (References) ......................................................................................... 225 Date: 20200611 Docket: CI 17-01-08926 (Winnipeg Centre) Indexed as: Manitoba Federation of Labour et al v. The Government of Manitoba Cited as: 2020 MBQB 92 COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH OF MANITOBA BETWEEN: ) Counsel: ) MANITOBA FEDERATION OF LABOUR (IN ITS ) For the Plaintiffs: OWN RIGHT AND ON BEHALF OF THE ) PARTNERSHIP TO DEFEND PUBLIC ) Garth Smorang, Q.C. SERVICES), THE MANITOBA GOVERNMENT ) Shannon Carson AND GENERAL EMPLOYEES’ UNION, THE ) Joel Deeley MANITOBA NURSES’ UNION, THE MANITOBA ) Kristen Worbanski TEACHERS’ SOCIETY, INTERNATIONAL ) BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS ) LOCALS 2034, 2085 AND 435, MANITOBA ) ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH CARE ) PROFESSIONALS, UNITED FOOD AND ) COMMERCIAL WORKERS UNION LOCAL 832, ) UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA FACULTY ) ASSOCIATION, CANADIAN UNION OF PUBLIC ) EMPLOYEES NATIONAL, ASSOCIATION OF ) EMPLOYEES SUPPORTING EDUCATION ) SERVICES, GENERAL TEAMSTERS LOCAL ) UNION 979, OPERATING ENGINEERS OF ) MANITOBA LOCAL 987, THE PROFESSIONAL ) INSTITUTE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE OF ) CANADA, PUBLIC SERVICE ALLIANCE OF ) CANADA, UNIFOR, LEGAL AID LAWYERS ) ASSOCIATION, UNITED STEEL, PAPER AND ) FORESTRY, RUBBER, MANUFACTURING, ) ENERGY, ALLIED INDUSTRIAL AND SERVICE ) WORKERS INTERNATIONAL UNION, LOCALS ) 2 7975, 7106, 9074, and 8223, WINNIPEG ) ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC SERVICE ) OFFICERS IFPTE LOCAL 162, THE UNITED ) ASSOCIATION OF JOURNEYMEN AND ) APPRENTICES OF THE PLUMBING AND PIPE ) FITTING INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES ) AND CANADA LOCAL UNION 254, BRANDON ) UNIVERSITY FACULTY ASSOCIATION, THE ) INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF THEATRICAL ) STAGE EMPLOYEES, MOVING PICTURE ) TECHNICIANS, ARTISTS AND ALLIED CRAFTS ) OF THE UNITED STATES, ITS TERRITORIES ) AND CANADA, LOCAL 63, THE UNITED ) BROTHERHOOD OF CARPENTERS & JOINERS ) OF AMERICA, LOCAL UNION NO. 1515, ) PHYSICIAN AND CLINICAL ASSISTANTS OF ) MANITOBA INC., and UNIVERSITY OF ) WINNIPEG FACULTY ASSOCIATION, ) ) Plaintiffs, ) ) -and- ) ) THE GOVERNMENT OF MANITOBA, ) For the Defendant: ) ) Heather Leonoff, Q.C. Defendant. ) Michael Conner ) Michael Bodner ) Alan Ladyka ) ) JUDGMENT DELIVERED: ) JUNE 11, 2020 MCKELVEY J. INTRODUCTION