Charles Smith – The Conversation

Teamsters Canada Rail Conference members picket outside the Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway headquarters in Calgary, Aug. 23, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

June 28, 2026

The right to strike is constitutionally protected — a new Senate report is looking for a workaround

Andrew Stevens, University of Regina and Charles Smith, University of Saskatchewan

A Senate committee is recommending a permanent tribunal that could ban strikes in federally regulated industries. The proposal would gut constitutional protections workers won in court.

People march in front of the Midtown Mall during a province-wide, one-day strike organized by the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation in Saskatoon, Sask., Jan. 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

January 16, 2024

Saskatchewan teacher strike: It’s about bargaining for the common good

Charles Smith, University of Saskatchewan and Simon Enoch, University of Regina

Chronically underfunded classrooms with fewer supports to meet student needs is a core issue for Saskatchewan teachers.

Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) members stand on picket line in Halifax in October 2018 after a call for a series of rotating 24-hour strikes. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ted Pritchard

December 6, 2018

Back‑to‑work legislation may come back to haunt Justin Trudeau

Charles Smith, University of Saskatchewan and Larry Savage, Brock University

Ordering Canada’s postal workers back on the job may hurt Justin Trudeau. CUPW could direct its anger directly at the Trudeau Liberals ahead of the 2019 federal election.

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